It's a shame that such fantastic cinema goes to waste; not only because it got overrun by huge blockbusters, but in this case, as with almost every single non-English-language film, it gets doubly ignored due to peoples' seeming allergy to reading subtitles. Palabras Encadenadas, which technically translates to "word chains" in Spanish, gets the US title Killing Words, because, not only would the original title hold less meaning to an American audience, but a title with the word "killing" in it gives it, potentially, much more power, than what sounds like a kid's game.
But that is exactly the sinister charm that this film pulls off beautifully. Ramón, played by Dario Grandinetti (Habla con Ella), appears to be a decently charming man who just so happens to be experimenting, all the while showing the audience step-by-step, with his first "adventures" in becoming a serial killer. Word Chains, is indeed, a child's game, but when conducted by Ramón, the stakes only become increasingly fiendish and inescapable as time goes on.
The first thing we see as the audience, is Ramón's character speaking directly to us (i.e. seeming to break the 4th wall), but as the camera pans out, it is revealed that we are watching Ramón watch a video recording which he recorded of himself confessing/conferring with/to his potential audience about his burgeoning "talents" as a killer. He openly brags about how easy it has been to gain a potential victim's trust, and exactly how he has conducted these first few murders. Once he has what he feels is enough confidence in his newfound skills, he sets out to target the one person he would love to torture and kill most of all: his ex-wife.
Psychologists, such as Wayne Wilson, would say that certain serial killers, like Edmund Kemper (aka the Co-Ed Killer) keep killing their victims – sometimes unwittingly – as substitutes for their ultimate target. It seems that we are witnessing the birth of that very kind of serial killer in the character of Ramón.
The ex-wife, Laura, played exquisitely by Goya Toledo (Amores Perros), is then subjected to intense psychological torture by Ramón as he keeps her tied down to chair, and insists that she play word chains with him. Slight disclaimer: the words they say as part of the game aren't necessarily what is said in Spanish – obviously, everything that rhymes in one language isn't going to rhyme in another. So, please bear that in mind if you are coming into this film with absolutely no knowledge of Spanish. The subtitles, however, are done in such a way that capture the essence and nuances of the specific words they are using.
As Ramón gleefully keeps his ex-wife prisoner, he rants and boasts of his newfound "hobby". Laura, being a psychologist, desperately tries to find cracks in his statements. Is Ramón actually a cold-blooded killer willing to torture and kill his own ex-wife? Or is he just lonely, delusional, and scared, crying out to be noticed by his former love abandoning him?
But that is exactly the sinister charm that this film pulls off beautifully. Ramón, played by Dario Grandinetti (Habla con Ella), appears to be a decently charming man who just so happens to be experimenting, all the while showing the audience step-by-step, with his first "adventures" in becoming a serial killer. Word Chains, is indeed, a child's game, but when conducted by Ramón, the stakes only become increasingly fiendish and inescapable as time goes on.
The first thing we see as the audience, is Ramón's character speaking directly to us (i.e. seeming to break the 4th wall), but as the camera pans out, it is revealed that we are watching Ramón watch a video recording which he recorded of himself confessing/conferring with/to his potential audience about his burgeoning "talents" as a killer. He openly brags about how easy it has been to gain a potential victim's trust, and exactly how he has conducted these first few murders. Once he has what he feels is enough confidence in his newfound skills, he sets out to target the one person he would love to torture and kill most of all: his ex-wife.
Psychologists, such as Wayne Wilson, would say that certain serial killers, like Edmund Kemper (aka the Co-Ed Killer) keep killing their victims – sometimes unwittingly – as substitutes for their ultimate target. It seems that we are witnessing the birth of that very kind of serial killer in the character of Ramón.
The ex-wife, Laura, played exquisitely by Goya Toledo (Amores Perros), is then subjected to intense psychological torture by Ramón as he keeps her tied down to chair, and insists that she play word chains with him. Slight disclaimer: the words they say as part of the game aren't necessarily what is said in Spanish – obviously, everything that rhymes in one language isn't going to rhyme in another. So, please bear that in mind if you are coming into this film with absolutely no knowledge of Spanish. The subtitles, however, are done in such a way that capture the essence and nuances of the specific words they are using.
As Ramón gleefully keeps his ex-wife prisoner, he rants and boasts of his newfound "hobby". Laura, being a psychologist, desperately tries to find cracks in his statements. Is Ramón actually a cold-blooded killer willing to torture and kill his own ex-wife? Or is he just lonely, delusional, and scared, crying out to be noticed by his former love abandoning him?
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