In A Glass Cage

Year: 1986

Grade: B

Country: Spain

Director: Villaronga

Review

pretty creepy and artistic spanish horror/thriller. it’s about an ex-nazi (is there such a thing? once a nazi, always a nazi?) who is confined to an iron lung (actually a glass lung, hence the title of the film) after an accident he had shortly after abusing a young boy. the majority of the film takes place inside a large, dark house which adds to the feeling of confinement of the film. an ex-victim of the nazi’s ends up taking on nursing duties since he has become too much of a strain on his wife and daughter. at this point the film takes somewhat of an “apt pupil” turn – the victim, who is now grown up and unrecognizable to the nazi, finds the nazi’s old journals and sets out to recreate some of the acts detailed therein. naturally there a good deal of homoeroticism and seriously sinister misdeeds along the way. in addition to the subject matter, the cinematography of the film also has a creepy, unsettling feel. there are very few colors, the filmmaker uses mostly dark, muted colors, along with grays and dull blues. the last 20 minutes of the film is almost entirely shot indoors, in very dark settings which, again, is befitting the subject matter. unlike “entrails of a beautiful woman,” this film uses ambiance and style to enhance its exploration of the darker corners of humanity and the cycle of depravity. it is explicit at times, but doesn’t rely on shocking images to the same extent of “entrails.” it most reminded me of del toro’s films, specifically “the devil’s backbone.” the protagonist (the nurse) was the weakest link in the acting chain, but he was adequate overall.