Painless (film)

Painless

Original release poster displaying the initial release title of Insensibles
Insensibles
Directed by Juan Carlos Medina
Written by Luiso Berdejo
Juan Carlos Medina
Starring Àlex Brendemühl
Tómas Lemarquis
Ilias Stothart
Music by Johan Söderqvist
Cinematography Alejandro Martínez
Edited by Pedro Ribeiro
Production
companies
Les Films d'Antoine
Tobina Film
Fado Filmes
Release dates
  • September 8, 2012 (2012-09-08) (TIFF)
Running time
 100 minutes
Country Spain
France
Portugal
Language Catalan
Spanish
German
English

Painless, also known under its original title of Insensibles, is a 2012 fantasy horror film and the feature film directorial debut of Juan Carlos Medina.[1] The film is a joint production between Spain, France, and Portugal and had its world premiere on 8 September 2012 at the Toronto International Film Festival.[2] Painless is set in Catalonia and follows two different story lines, one set during the Spanish Civil War and one set in the modern day.[3][4]

Synopsis

The film's premise is partially set in 1931 during the Spanish Civil War, where a group of children are brought to a monastery turned hospital for medical testing. None of the children are capable of feeling physical pain, something that Dr. Holzmann (Derek de Lint) hopes to remedy with his procedures. However at the same time his colleague Dr. Carcedo (Ramon Fontserè) believes that the children would be better off locked up in his asylum in Canfranc. One young patient named Benigno (played at different ages by Ilias and Mot Stothart) stands out in particular, as he proves to be exceptionally intelligent but also easily prone to violent outbursts - something that Carcedo believes is further proof of his beliefs. Holzmann's plans are ultimately never brought to fruition, as the hospital is besieged and taken over by several different military forces.

The movie is also set during modern day, where David (Àlex Brendemühl) has woken up in a hospital to discover that he had been in a serious automobile accident. His pregnant wife (who had been riding in the car with him) did not survive the crash but the doctors did manage to save the baby, who is now being housed in another floor of the hospital. To add to his misery, the doctors inform David that scans of his body has revealed that he has lymphoma and requires a bone marrow transplant if he is to have any chance of survival. David turns to his parents in hopes that one of them can donate their marrow, only to learn that he was adopted. From there David sets out to find his biological parents, a process that inevitably leads him to the hospital that was run by Holzmann and Carcedo. He eventually discovers that his father is Benigno, who was renamed Berkano (Tómas Lemarquis) by one of the military forces, and that Berkano had become a prolific torturer for this new regime.

Cast

Reception

Critical reception for Painless has been mostly positive.[5][6] Reviewers for The Hollywood Reporter praised the film,[7] with one reviewer drawing favorable comparisons to Guillermo Del Toro’s The Devil's Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth.[8] Twitch Film also praised the film, writing "Absolutely beautifully shot and performed, Painless is filled with interesting ideas and images that establish Medina - with his first feature here - as a director of uncommon visual skills."[9] Dread Central and Ain't It Cool News were more mixed in their reviews,[10] and Ain't It Cool News wrote that "PAINLESS has some superb sections with child actors at their best and has an evocative examination of what humanizes the heart. Unfortunately, it does not focus enough on this and becomes too interested in dealing a didactic ‘sins of the fathers’ tract that jars with its more timeless magic."[11]

References

  1. ↑ Barton, Steve. "Juan Carlos Medina's Insensibles (Painless) on Track for a First Quarter 2011 Start". Dread Central. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  2. ↑ Brown, Todd. "Impressive First Images From Juan Carlos Medina's PAINLESS (INSENSIBLES)". Twitch Film. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  3. ↑ García, Julián. "Juan Carlos Medina: "La memoria histórica está ahí, tras un muro"". El Periodico. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  4. ↑ MAQUEDA, MARTA. "'Insensibles' la nueva película de Juan Carlos Medina lleva más de dos semanas en la gran pantalla". Vavel. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  5. ↑ Lee, Maggie. "Review: 'Painless'". Variety. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  6. ↑ Bitel, Anton. "FRIGHTFEST 2013: PAINLESS". Grolsch Film Works. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  7. ↑ Dalton, Stephen. "Painless (Insensibles): London Film Festival Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  8. ↑ Mintzer, Jordan. "Painless (Insensibles): Toronto Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  9. ↑ Brown, Todd. "TIFF 2012 Review: PAINLESS Finds Beauty In Horror". Twitch Film. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  10. ↑ Jones, Gareth. "Painless (Insensibles) (review)". Dread Central. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  11. ↑ "AICN HORROR from UK's Film 4 FrightFest Part 1: Dr Karen Outghton reviews CHEAP THRILLS! THE DESERT! PAINLESS! THE GRIEF TOURIST! NO ONE LIVES! HANSEL & GRETEL: THE 420 WITCH! and CURSE OF CHUCKY!". AICN. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
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