Thesis (1996)

I saw the movie with low expectations, thinking I was going to watch an average thriller about snuff movies, fortunately I was wrong and I saw one of the best films of my life. With a hand full of twists, good cast and a great plot, Tesis catches the attention of every watcher. The direction is really good! Alejandro Amenábar proofs to be an incredible director, I hope to see more films of him. It's a trip inside the world of the snuff films and inside of dark human mind, I loved the fact that didn't need a lot of gore to shock, instead, Tesis could shock with the main story and the evolution of their characters. There are a lot of intense and suspenseful scenes where the viewer can feel angry and anxious to see what happens next.I really don't know why Hollywood haven't made an American remake of this masterpiece.Rate: 9.5/10

Why is death and violence so fascinating? Is it morally correct to show violence in movies? If so, is there a limit to what we should show? That is the subject of Ángela's examination paper.As a film made by a film student about film students, much of "Tesis" is metafilmic and comments on the Spanish film industry, Hollywood influence and the voyeuristic nature of the horror and snuff genres. Following the aesthetic of the American horror genre, Angela operates as the "Final Girl," or resourceful female protagonist that defies stereotypical feminine traits.This is every bit as gritty as a Hollywood horror film or thriller, and it is something of a surprise that it seems to be largely unknown. Even though it is foreign, die-hard horror fans should have latched on to it. And these days, it is a bit of a shock no one tried to remake it.

Thesis is bone chilling, mind boggling and a very fine thriller. The mystery throughout is enough to get you hooked. The whole film is so well constructed, that it isn't until the final minutes of the film that you find out what is really going on and what happened. The story is too original to put into words, so daring that it is impossible to imagine.Thesis is a great film, an idea that has been lost in such a genre. It's hard to spot any imperfections in this film, given, that some of the decisions made are questionable. However, this is the most frightening film about a mystery hunt that I can ever remember watching.

A film student Ángela (Ana Torrent) decides to write her thesis paper on violence in cinema, hence deciding to focus on less known works, especially those banned from general viewing. Her professor Figueroa (Miguel Picazo) decides to assist her by accessing movies from the university archive, but unwittingly stumbles across a snuff movie made by a local ring. After Figueroa dies whilst viewing the picture, Ángela with the assistance of gore aficionado Chema (Fele Martínez) decides to unravel the ring and discover the creators of the on-screen murder movie. Her prime suspect is Bosco (Eduardo Noriega), an attractive co-student with access to a camera of the exact make used for the snuff film...As a pure thriller "Tesis" is an effective and pivotal piece by director Alejandro Amenábar, which jump-started the Spanish horror renaissance. Despite some wooden acting by Torrent, unfocused story and a large debt owed to Italian giallo, the overall atmosphere is strikingly different, ominous and unrelenting. However apart from the base thrill factor offered by "Tesis" there is also an underlying element of commentary on film and its inherent value. Essentially countering the voyeuristic repulsiveness of "Funny Games" by Michael Haneke, Amenabar approaches the theme without such self-defeating hypocrisy talking much about exposure of violence, but offering little in terms of visible gore. Even the snuff videos are mostly showed from a close-up perspective obscuring real visibility, instead keeping it outside the lens. Even the suspense is restrained with the thrill coveted by grim darkness.The overall commentary is rather straight-forward, subdued and limited in scale, hitting home a similar message as the controversial Haneke piece - the suggestion that by watching violence you inadvertently become an accomplice to the act. A cynic professor suggests that everyone needs to drop false pretence and instead partake in the money grab - deliver bigger, better and more gruesome junk, instead of sticking to artistry (something apparently soon to be perfected by the French film industry).Other motives concern that of the powerful obsession with the forbidden apple and an often missed question of guilt / redemption. In the previous matter the interest in on-screen violence is incrementally reinforced by restrictions. In the latter is solidly focused around the most captivating character of Chema, who delivers a very ambiguous portrayal, but pivotal to the story and its outcome. An intriguing and satisfyingly cinemaphile jab at "The Third Man" and a key scene, where Chema tells a dark fairy-tale, subtly invokes his remorse for directly / indirectly being part of the expansion of violence. The movie ends with his guilt never fully disclosed, instead making him a 'reformed' individual, who actually may have been the instigator of the snuff ring, but no longer wants to attribute himself to the violence.