The Abandoned (2006)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Nacho Cerdà

Writers:

Karim Hussain (screenplay) &
Nacho Cerdà (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

23 February 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Death never runs out of time.

Plot:

An adopted woman returns to her home country to the family home that she never knew and must face to mystery that lies there.

Plot Keywords:

Ghost | Farm | Russia | Guide | Film Producer

Cast

Anastasia Hille	...	Marie Jones
Karel Roden	...	Nicolai
Valentin Ganev	...	Andrei Misharin / Kolya Kaidavosky
Paraskeva Djukelova	...	Marie's Mother
Carlos Reig-Plaza	...	Anatoliy
Kalin Arsov	...	Bearded Russian Patriarch Man '1966'
Svetlana Smoleva	...	Bearded Patriarch's wife '1966'
Anna Panayotova	...	Bearded Patriarch's daughter '1966'
Jordanka Angelova	...	Blind Woman 'present day'
Valentin Goshev	...	Patriarch - present day
Jasmina Marinova	...	Patriarch's Wife
Monica Baunova	...	Emily
Marta Yaneva	...	Natalya

Also Known As:

Bloodline (Spain) (working title)
Los abandonados (Spain)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence/gore, some disturbing images, nudity and language.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

Spain | UK | Bulgaria

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Portugal:M/18 | Australia:MA | France:-12 | Peru:18 | Argentina:16 | UK:15 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-18 | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Sofia, Bulgaria

Company:

Castelao Producciones

Trivia:

Writer Karim Hussain said that the film was inspired by obsessions with family and the double aspects of everybody's lives. Also, Hussain based his work on some experiences he lived at his father's farm as a child.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: The initial scenes reveal Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, although the heroine confirms she has arrived in Russia.

Movie Connections:

Features Arachnid (2001)

Soundtrack:

Sustained with Honey

Filmmakers and Premature Ejaculations

The Abandoned was billed as the fan favorite of the Horrorfest (i.e., 8 Films to Die For) that occurred in late 2006. Most of the rating lists that I have seen from posters on IMDb have ranked The Abandoned very high, while ranking the Japanese film Reincarnation in the middle of the pack. I personally thought that Reincarnation was very good, so I figured that the re-release of The Abandoned would give me the opportunity to experience what everyone has been talking about. After the show one thing is for certain: The Abandoned could not have been the best film at the Horrorfest, because Reincarnation runs circles around this film in terms of storyline and entertainment value.

This film had everything it needed as far as atmosphere is concerned. The woodland areas, the river, and the house were perfect to build atmosphere and a sense of dread. Unfortunately, the filmmakers were too impatient to allow the fantastic environment to mature and reach the viewer in full effect. A character would be walking in the dimly lit forest, and just when I began to take in the atmosphere, the filmmakers would intrude with an excessively loud scream or noise for no apparent reason. There were so many "false scares" in this film that they effectively mitigated any atmospheric effect whatsoever. In other words, the filmmakers "prematurely ejaculated" with stupid sound effects before the viewer was able to reach "atmospheric orgasm."

Ironically, there were probably a dozen or so "jump-out-of-your-seat" scares during the first portion of the film, and most of them were in situations with no real danger. For example, the opening scene shows a few babies crying in a truck, which transitions to an airplane arriving at an airport. Regrettably, the director couldn't stand by and allow such a transition to pass without cranking up the damn sound to the point where my eardrums were ready to explode. The filmmakers are apparently stupid enough to think that scene transitions with sonic booms clocking in at over 200 decibels are somehow entertaining.

Perhaps the most common method of premature sound ejaculation in The Abandoned is the use of voices coming from nowhere. These voices begin at a whisper and crescendo to a loud scream in between scenes. Instead of just allowing the scene transition to occur, the filmmakers would use these idiotic gimmicks to make the viewer jump in their seat before continuing on to the next chapter. Imagine someone sneaking up behind you in a store, only to then scream in your ear and startle you. Any no-talent hack can do that. It's not scary. They're just being a jerk. That's what The Abandoned is – a jerk who annoys you at their every opportunity.

It's really too bad, because the concept that presents itself at the very end of the film is quite good. It's a blending of doppelgangers and premonitions that works well for the few seconds that it presents itself, but everything leading up to that point is nothing more than 90 minutes of sonic booms and premature ejaculations.

Not recommended.