''And Soon the Darkness'', also known as ''Prisioneras de la oscuridad'',"Prisioneras de la oscuridad (2010)" - Alternative title: "And Soon the Darkness"

Cinenacional.com Cinenacional.com is a web portal and web-based database about Argentine cinema. It is the most comprehensive site for information about the Argentine film industry, with a vast array of information on films, television programs, directors, actor ...

is a 2010 mystery

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

directed by Marcos Efron and starring

Karl Urban Karl-Heinz Urban (born 7 June 1972) is a New Zealand actor. His career began with appearances in New Zealand films and television series such as '' Xena: Warrior Princess''. His first Hollywood role was in the 2002 horror film ''Ghost Ship''. ...

Amber Heard Amber Laura Heard (born April 22, 1986) is an American actress. She had her first leading role in the horror film '' All the Boys Love Mandy Lane'' (2006), and went on to star in films such as '' The Ward'' (2010), '' Drive Angry'' (2011), and ...

and

Odette Annable Odette Juliette Annable (; born May 10, 1985) is an American actress. She is known for various roles in film and television, including as Dr. Jessica Adams in the Fox medical drama series ''House'', Beth McIntyre in the monster film ''Cloverfi ...

. It is a remake of the British film '' And Soon the Darkness'' (1970). The screenplay was written by Jennifer Derwingson and Marcos Efron.

Plot

Two young American women, Stephanie and Ellie, are

backpacking Backpacking may refer to: * Backpacking (travel), low-cost, independent, international travel * Backpacking (hiking), trekking and camping overnight in the wilderness * Ultralight backpacking, a style of wilderness backpacking with an emphasis on ...

through

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

. On their last day in

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, they decide to stay in a small hotel. After a drunken night at the local bar, where they encounter some of the local men, the two miss the bus that was supposed to take them to their next destination. Since the bus only comes once per day, they decide to head down to the nearby river to relax and enjoy their extra day off. The trip takes a turn for the worse when the two are separated after a heated argument, and Ellie is kidnapped. While Stephanie desperately searches for her friend, she is joined by Michael, an American who claims to be looking for his girlfriend who disappeared months before. The duo is assisted by the town's only police officer who acts oddly suspicious. Stephanie finds the hide-out where the kidnapper has taken Ellie and manages to rescue her. But Ellie is later killed in the escape by the man who kidnapped her. The policeman appears and lures Stephanie into his car. By finding her passport there, she understands that the lone police officer is actually a sadistic and deranged human trafficker and is the culprit behind all the missing girls. Michael grabs the policeman's weapon. The policeman offers to trade Michael's girlfriend, Camila, for Stephanie. Michael agrees but is shot by the policeman using a second weapon. Stephanie is taken by the policeman and the kidnapper to be sold. This time she escapes herself by jumping off a boat while killing the kidnapper. Reaching the shore of

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

, she is caught by the buyer waiting for her and the Argentinean policeman who chased her, but she manages to escape again. The policeman chases her again, killing a local fisherman who tried to help her on the way. She then hides inside the boat and grabs a knife from the table. When the chaser enters the boat, they fight. She eventually stabs him in the leg to grab his gun and kill the policeman. The last scene shows Stephanie walking to the nearest town at dawn when a jeep arrives and a Paraguayan military woman comes out to finally rescue her.

Cast

Production

The film was shot in March 2009 in Argentina.

Release

The film was released on February 18, 2010, as part of the European film market in Germany, and scheduled for a theatrical release on February 11, 2011, over Optimum Releasing in the United Kingdom. On May 14, 2010, Anchor Bay acquired the rights for US distribution of the film, giving it a limited theatrical run starting December 17, 2010.

Home media

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on December 28, 2010.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

the film has an approval rating of 17% based on reviews from six critics.

References

External links

* * {{rotten-tomatoes, and_soon_the_darkness_2010 2010 films 2010 crime thriller films 2010 independent films 2010s mystery thriller films American crime thriller films American mystery thriller films American independent films American remakes of British films 2010s English-language films Films about kidnapping Films about missing people Films about murderers Films about vacationing Films set in Argentina Films shot in Argentina Films scored by Tomandandy American mystery horror films StudioCanal films 2010s American films English-language crime thriller films English-language independent films English-language mystery thriller films