The Bar
Directed by Álex de la Iglesia
- horror
- thriller
- comedy
The story
In downtown Madrid, a series of mysterious gunshots trap a motley assortment of people in a decrepit bar.
What it’s like
Cramped, grimy interiors lit by flickering fluorescents and the dull glow of a street-facing window, with the camera mostly pinned inside the bar and its narrow bathroom and storeroom, so the walls feel like they are closing in. Director Álex de la Iglesia pushes the frame into jittery handheld moves, sudden zooms and sharp cuts when a shot rings out, and the sound design does much of the work: distant gunfire, traffic going silent, a mounting hum of nerves. Its vibe is sweaty, mean-spirited paranoia with a bleak, sardonic grin, the kind of film that plays well late at night with the lights off and a friend beside you for the laughs. Pacing is brisk and escalating, with black comedy flaring up between spikes of dread as a group of strangers turns on each other under siege. Violence is sudden and bloody but not lingered on; there are gunshots, wounds and a few grisly reveals, with dark humour undercutting most of it. Recommended for viewers who like claustrophobic thrillers with a nasty sense of humour and do not need warmth or a gentle ride.
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