A man is pushed to the brink of sanity in the latest film from F. Javier Gutiérrez. After somewhat reviving the American branch of the Ring series with Rings, Gutiérrez returns to his Spanish roots with The Wait, aka La Espera.
Whereas Rings was a glossy, somewhat overproduced American production, with The Wait, Gutiérrez goes back to basics. The Wait is a slowly unfurling nightmare that captures the inner and outer anguish of one man, Eladio (Víctor Clavijo). In need of work and wanting to escape life in town, he agrees to take a job managing the land of a lavish estate. Three years later he, his wife and his son, live a modest life, with Eladio overseeing a series of deer hunts on the land. His job involves maintaining a tight inventory of the animals culled, but after being tempted into going beyond that limit, he finds his life changed irrevocably. Tragedy strikes and he finds himself alone. As he struggles to cope in the wake of terrible events, his grasp on reality slips, and Hell for Eladio becomes a place on Earth.
The Wait’s title is an accurate description, as that is exactly what the viewer has to do. This is not a film with an early payoff. Gutiérrez builds both his story and world up almost excruciatingly slowly. A firm example of the term ‘slow-burn’, by the time the audience gets to the payoff, they will be near climbing the walls, their patience wearing thin. Quite how worth the wait the climax is will vary from person to person, but there is no denying that Gutiérrez has a flair for creating atmosphere.
As sedentary as the pacing in The Wait is, Gutiérrez surprises the viewer with jolts of adrenaline. The tragedy that forms the catalyst for Eladio’s torment comes almost without warning. There is a split second when the viewer suddenly realises ahead of time what is about to happen, and as awful as it is, you cannot avert your eyes. It is a great moment, expertly crafted, and is repeated soon after in a different scenario. In both moments the viewer’s stomach drops. With the exception of another sequence that is a devious red herring, teasing a very different narrative direction, these flashes are sparse. Those included achieve the reaction they are aiming for, but they leave the viewer hoping for further highs and betterment, but instead get a much more sombre story.
Leaps and bounds above Rings, The Wait will nonetheless still struggle to suck in every viewer. The drawn out character study will grow tiresome for some. In spite of that, there is no denying that Gutiérrez knows how to orchestrate a wicked sequence of dread. Were The Wait to go further into that territory, the general response would likely be far more positive. As it stands though, The Wait is a film that takes its title too literally for too long, ultimately forgetting to provide the average viewer with enough return on investment to adequately sustain them over its run-time.
The Wait
Summary
Some excellently wielded moments of tension become lessened by a lengthy and unhurried pace, which sadly for Gutiérrez, will leave many yearning for something a little more direct.
The Wait was reviewed at Fantastic Fest 2023.
