After watching "The Real Friend", I may never view Leatherface quite the same. "The Real Friend" is one of those kinds of tales where the power of the imagination can be fostered, nourished, and given life through the desolation and loneliness of a little girl creating friends who are very real to her, mostly grotesque characters familiar to us through horror films(The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Nosferatu) or classic novels(..Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde). Since this film is part of the Spanish television's "6 Films to Keep You Awake", the violence is at a tolerable level for a broader viewing public although the thematic material is quite adult. A bright, but rather lonely young girl, whose father isn't present in her life, spends time alone, as her mother works as a nurse for long hours. She watches horror films and certain characters are alive to her, such as Leatherface who even sits in classrooms with her. We follow a strange man searching for a psychotic killer who had escaped from a third-world prison in some poor village, and both find themselves in the city where the mother and daughter live. As these characters converge, we learn a startling truth and a young girl will need her friends' aid.
The little girl is Estrella(Nerea Inchausti), and her mother is Angela(Goya Toledo). Estrella meets a bald biker who she thinks is Nosferatu. This man may not be who Estrella believes and he very well could harbor a secret that involves Angela. The fourth character, a bible-toting, always-praying detective, obsessively on the pursuit of an escaped killer, seems to be after the biker, eventually warning Angela of "his return" and that she could be in danger. The finale has the many imaginary characters Estrella has developed perhaps coming to her and Angela's rescue. The twist regarding what we have been watching all the time is a doozy.
Seeing Leatherface turn up, with his chainsaw and tie, is simply bizarre, especially when he cuddles with a rather solemn Estrella. How the filmmakers were able to pull this off without infringing some copyright sure as heck surprised me. Director Enrique Urbizu carefully avoids grisly violence, using blood as a device to explain the fates of some at the hands of a killer. Eduardo Farelo is quite effective as a possible threat to our mother and daughter, and is especially memorable during an intense dinner scene where the horror of what he might say to Estrella is etched on Angela's face(Toledo is quite impressive here, showing a mother attempting to disguise fear and holding on by a slender thread as he shows signs of spilling the beans). Ambitious little film, with a lot to say about the influences of television/pop culture and the disappointments of reality when compared to fantasy.
The little girl is Estrella(Nerea Inchausti), and her mother is Angela(Goya Toledo). Estrella meets a bald biker who she thinks is Nosferatu. This man may not be who Estrella believes and he very well could harbor a secret that involves Angela. The fourth character, a bible-toting, always-praying detective, obsessively on the pursuit of an escaped killer, seems to be after the biker, eventually warning Angela of "his return" and that she could be in danger. The finale has the many imaginary characters Estrella has developed perhaps coming to her and Angela's rescue. The twist regarding what we have been watching all the time is a doozy.
Seeing Leatherface turn up, with his chainsaw and tie, is simply bizarre, especially when he cuddles with a rather solemn Estrella. How the filmmakers were able to pull this off without infringing some copyright sure as heck surprised me. Director Enrique Urbizu carefully avoids grisly violence, using blood as a device to explain the fates of some at the hands of a killer. Eduardo Farelo is quite effective as a possible threat to our mother and daughter, and is especially memorable during an intense dinner scene where the horror of what he might say to Estrella is etched on Angela's face(Toledo is quite impressive here, showing a mother attempting to disguise fear and holding on by a slender thread as he shows signs of spilling the beans). Ambitious little film, with a lot to say about the influences of television/pop culture and the disappointments of reality when compared to fantasy.