Some of the best movies are ones that commit to a premise and style and never relent. The Punishment or El Castigo (Outsider Pictures), directed by Matias Bize, is an Argentinian drama that never strays from its low-profile presentation and grounded story.

The film begins with Ana and Mateo, a married couple, driving on the road next to a forest. Through the dialogue, and you piece together that they have left their son on the side of the road as a type of bluff punishment. They left him there for two minutes and when they returned, he was nowhere to be seen and seemingly lost in the forest.

Most movies with that setup would introduce some kind of supernatural plot or horror element to spice it up: a haunted forest, serial killer, possessed kid, or something else. But The Punishment keeps things grounded the whole way through and focuses on the parents’ anxiety and dysfunction to heighten the drama. It’s slow-paced, but the performances from Antonia Zegers as Ana and Nestor Cantillana make it truly engaging.
 

There are only a few other characters, and there are no jokes, snide remarks, or sarcasm -- it’s all played as if this were a real situation with real people. Even when the pace was slow, I was eager to see what would happen next.  

The direction of the movie is also worth mentioning. The scenes use minimal cuts, if any, to tell their story. There are also lingering shots that stick as characters move into the background, giving you the feeling that you’re an observer watching this couple’s relationship fall apart in real-time. I’m sure they intended to make the audience uncomfortable, and succeeded. 

The final scene is riveting, as you see Ana and Mateo’s dynamic as a couple fully exposed. It’s so real and visceral that it literally gave me a bad and anxious feeling, and it was all played out successfully with two characters talking about why their relationship is a failure. No blood or gore, no monsters, and no death. It’s as uncomfortable as watching two people break up at a restaurant when you’re sitting in the booth with them. There’s nowhere to go, and you wish they would go home to resolve things behind closed doors. 

The Punishment does a lot with a simple premise, a small cast, and no real sets. It shows that you can make a good movie out of the simplest premise with the right combination of fine writing, cinematography, and acting. Its slow pace and barebones approach could be an impediment for some viewers, but despite that, this is a truly great film. 

Author Bio:

Ulises Duenas is a senior writer and film critic at Highbrow Magazine.

For Highbrow Magazine