''Manticore'' () is 2022

psychological drama Psychological drama, or psychodrama, is a Genre, subgenre of Drama (film and television), drama and psychological fiction literatures that generally focuses upon the emotional, mental, and psychological development of the protagonists and other c ...

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...

written and directed by

Carlos Vermut Carlos López del Rey (born 1980), known professionally as Carlos Vermut, is a Spanish filmmaker. Born in Madrid, he worked as illustrator, comic book artist and storyboard designer prior to filmmaking. Following his involvement in the animated te ...

, and starring Nacho Sánchez and Zoe Stein. An international co-production between Spain and Estonia that blends elements of

mumblecore Mumblecore is a subgenre of independent film characterized by naturalistic acting and (sometimes improvised) dialogue, low budgets, an emphasis on dialogue over plot, and a focus on the personal relationships of young adults. Filmmakers associ ...

with

tragedy A tragedy is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a tragic hero, main character or cast of characters. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy is to invoke an accompanying catharsi ...

and deals with its protagonist's ''

hamartia The term ''hamartia'' derives from the Greek , from ''hamartánein'', which means "to miss the mark" or "to err". It is most often associated with Greek tragedy, although it is also used in Christian theology. The term is often said to dep ...

'', the film's storyline follows the

romantic relationship Romance or romantic love is a feeling of love for, or a strong attraction towards another person, and the courtship behaviors undertaken by an individual to express those overall feelings and resultant emotions. The ''Wiley Blackwell En ...

between a video game designer (Sánchez) and an art history student (Stein), with the former hoping to find happiness with the latter and thus to subdue his recently awakened pedophilic impulses. ''Manticore'' had its world premiere at the

2022 Toronto International Film Festival The 47th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from September 8 to 18, 2022. The 2022 festival was staged primarily in-person; a small selection of films were offered on the Digital TIFF Bell Lightbox platform, but this represente ...

. It was nominated for the

37th Goya Awards The 37th Goya Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain, took place at the FIBES Conference and Exhibition Centre in Seville, Andalusia on 11 February 2023. Background On 31 May 2022, Seville was r ...

in four categories (Director, Original Screenplay, Leading Actor, New Actress). The film was released in Spain in December 2022.

Plot

Living alone in an apartment in the centre of Madrid, Julián is a successful

game designer Game design is the process of creating and shaping the mechanics, systems, rules, and gameplay of a game. Game design processes apply to board games, card games, dice games, casino games, role-playing games, sports, Wargame (video games), war ga ...

who creates

monsters A monster is a type of imaginary or fictional creature found in literature, folklore, mythology, fiction and religion. They are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive, with a strange or grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...

for

video games A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

with help of VR tools. A fire in the neighbouring apartment traps inside a boy called Cristian and Julián comes to his rescue. After receiving light medical attention, Julián befriends the boy, who confides to him that he wants to become a

gardener A gardener is someone who practices gardening, either professionally or as a hobby. Description A gardener is any person involved in gardening, arguably the oldest occupation, from the hobbyist in a residential garden, the home-owner suppleme ...

when he grows up; Julián tells Cristian that in his childhood he wanted to be a

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large Felidae, cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is ...

. Back in his apartment, Julián cannot fall asleep and experiences a

panic attack Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear and Comfort, discomfort that may include palpitations, otherwise defined as a Tachycardia, rapid, Arrhythmia, irregular Heart rate, heartbeat, Hyperhidrosis, sweating, chest pain or discomfort, s ...

. His physician prescribes him

anxiolytics An anxiolytic (; also antipanic or anti-anxiety agent) is a medication or other intervention that reduces anxiety. This effect is in contrast to anxiogenic agents which increase anxiety. Anxiolytic medications are used for the treatment of anxie ...

and recommends talking to other people in order to speed up his recovery. Julián has a bad sex experience with a girl he meets in a bar and begins to develop acute interest in Cristian's physical features. With human NPC templates from his work and from a hand-drawn sketch of the boy, Julián starts to reproduce Cristian in the VR, becoming aroused in the process. At a party organised for his colleague, Julián meets Diana, a boyish girl from

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

looking after her ill father in Madrid and studying for a

distance learning Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance; today, it usually involves online ...

degree in

art history Art history is the study of Work of art, artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Tradit ...

, with whom he eventually starts a relationship after meeting again near the Filmoteca. Julián removes all traces of his VR work on Cristian and commits to Diana. He rents a new apartment on the outskirts of Madrid where he performs a

rim job Anilingus (also spelled analingus) is an oral and anal sex act (anal–oral contact or anal–oral sex) in which one person stimulates the anus of another by using their tongue or lips. The anus has a relatively high concentration of nerve en ...

on Diana, who gets the news of her father's sudden death. Julián visits the

funeral home A funeral home, funeral parlor or mortuary is a business that provides burial, entombment and cremation services for the dead and their families. These services may include a prepared visitation and funeral, and the provision of a chapel for t ...

to console Diana. Wanting to avoid communication with her mother, Diana travels with the company of Julián to her father's seaside hometown in

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

. Julián has another panic attack there and is soothed by Diana. He is summoned to a company meeting and informed that because the company keeps a register of all works created and developed with its tools by its employees, the management knows the full extent of Julián's portfolio. Julián tries to phone Diana, but she

ghosts In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...

him. Still wanting to talk to her, Julián brings

Japanese food Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan (Japanese: ) is based on rice with miso soup and other ...

to Diana's home and tells her that nobody has ever been harmed by his actions. Diana is disgusted by Julián and tells him to leave. Anxious and upset, Julián arrives at his former apartment building and communicates with Cristian via the gate

intercom An intercom, also called an intercommunication device, intercommunicator, or interphone, is a stand-alone voice communications system for use within a building, small collection of buildings or portably within a small coverage area, which funct ...

, knowing that Cristian's mother is out and the boy is home alone. In Cristian's apartment he prepares a Cola Cao for them, pouring drugs into one of the cups. After Cristian drinks it and falls asleep, Julián takes him to his bedroom, but he is torn about his next actions and then on the wall he sees Cristian's drawing of a tiger with a human head, named 'Julián'. Julián gets out of the bedroom and attempts suicide by

defenestration Defenestration (from Neo-Latin ) is the act of throwing someone or something out of a window. The term was coined around the time of an incident in Prague Castle in the year 1618 which became the spark that started the Thirty Years' War. This ...

, waking up in a hospital. The doctor informs him that he has suffered severe

spinal cord injury A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. It is a destructive neurological and pathological state that causes major motor, sensory and autonomic dysfunctions. Symptoms of ...

and undergone several surgical operations whilst unconscious, with Diana staying by his side during that time. The film ends with Diana entering her apartment and taking care of a paralysed Julián, speaking to him in Catalan.

Cast

Production

The screenplay was penned by Vermut, in part as an adaptation of classic

werewolf films Werewolf fiction denotes the portrayal of werewolves and other shapeshifting therianthropes, in the media of literature, drama, film, games and music. Werewolf literature includes folklore, legend, saga, fairy tales, Gothic and horror fiction, f ...

on the premise that they originally sought to depict "humans managing forbidden sexual desires", with motivation for the project coming from approaching the theme of

pedophilia Pedophilia ( alternatively spelled paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of pube ...

as a

curse A curse (also called an imprecation, malediction, execration, malison, anathema, or commination) is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to one or more persons, a place, or an object. In particular, ...

and portraying how a pedophile may try to "cheat" on those forbidden impulses with proxies such as VR or a look-alike of a child. Vermut said that the original idea for the film came from the story of his

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...

friend whose appearance resembled

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is recognized for his multi-genre musical performances. He was discovered by record executive Scooter Braun in 2008 and subsequently brought to the U ...

somewhat and who felt cheated and used in her relationship with her partner when she found that that resemblance was the reason why the partner was with her. Vermut stated that "I think it is my film with the highest levels of discomfort. I like to confront the things that scare me through film. And I guess looking Julián in the eye is a way of dealing with it". Some references in the film are to

Francisco de Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, a ...

's ''

Black Paintings The Black Paintings (Spanish: ''Pinturas negras'') is the name given to a group of 14 paintings by Francisco Goya from the later years of his life, probably between 1820 and 1823. They portray intense, haunting themes, reflective of both his fe ...

'', as well as to

Alfonso Ponce de León Alfonso Ponce de León y Cabello (10 September 1906 – 29 September 1936) was a Spanish painter and propagandist. He was the son of jurist . He was also associated with Federico García Lorca's theater group, La Barraca as a scene painter. In 2 ...

, somewhat alluding to the tragedy awaiting the protagonist. Alana Mejía González debuted as

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...

for the first time in a feature film. The film was produced by Aquí y Allí Films, BTeam Prods, Magnética Films, Punto Nemo AIE, and Estonia's 34-T Cinema, with additional participation of

TV3 Channel 3 or TV 3 may refer to: Television *Canal 3 (Burkina Faso), a commercial television channel in Burkina Faso * Canal 3 Niger, a commercial television channel in Niger * Canal 3 (Guatemala), a commercial television channel in Guatemala * Can ...

RTVE The Corporación de Radio y Televisión Española (; ), known as Radiotelevisión Española (''Spanish Radio and Television'', RTVE), is the Spanish national public Broadcasting, television and radio broadcaster. It is a state-owned enterprise f ...

, and

Movistar Plus+ Movistar Plus+ (formerly Movistar+) is the trade name of the subscription platform for digital television owned by , which operates in Spain. The service is distributed via optical fiber and ADSL as well as with satellites such as Astra. The pl ...

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

began on 27 May 2021 in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

and wrapped in July 2021. Filming also took place on locations in the Great Penedès area of

Release

''Manticore'' made its

world premiere A premiere, also spelled première, (from , ) is the debut (first public presentation) of a work, i.e. play, film, dance, musical composition, or even a performer in that work. History Raymond F. Betts attributes the introduction of the film ...

at the

47th Toronto International Film Festival The 47th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from September 8 to 18, 2022. The 2022 festival was staged primarily in-person; a small selection of films were offered on the Digital TIFF Bell Lightbox platform, but this represente ...

, where it was screened in Contemporary World Cinema section on 13 September 2022. Later it was also screened at the Austin-based

Fantastic Fest Fantastic Fest is an annual film festival in Austin, Texas, focused on fantasy, horror, sci-fi, action and cult films, the largest genre festival in the United States. It was founded in 2005 by Tim League of Alamo Drafthouse. Lisa Dreyer ...

, the 66th

BFI London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival held in London, England, in collaboration with the British Film Institute. Founded in 1957, the festival runs for two weeks every October. In 2016, the BFI estimated that around 240 fe ...

and the 55th

Sitges Film Festival SITGES - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia () is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Catalonia, Spain. It specializes in fantasy film, fantasy, Horror film, horror and Cult film, cult films. Established in 1968, the festiva ...

, as well as the 35th

Tokyo International Film Festival The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. According to the FIAPF, it is one of Asia's competitive film festivals and the second largest film festival in Asia behind the ...

. Distributed in Spain by

BTeam Pictures BTeam Pictures is a Spanish film distribution company. The company is based in Madrid. It is headed by Alex Lafuente, Ania Jones and Lara Pérez Camiña. It also has a film production division. History The company was founded in Barcelona in 201 ...

, the film was originally due to be released theatrically in Spanish cinemas on 4 November 2022. Release date was subsequently rescheduled to 9 December 2022. Film Factory Entertainment handled international sales.

Reception

Critical response

Shelagh Rowan-Legg of ''

ScreenAnarchy ScreenAnarchy, previously known as Twitch Film or Twitch, is a Canadian English-language website featuring news and reviews of mainly international, independent and cult films. The website was founded in 2004 by Todd Brown. In addition to films, ...

'' described ''Manticore'' as "brutal, unflinching, precise, and sensitive", adding that she could not but be in "equal parts horrified and mesmerized" with the story. Alfonso Rivera of ''

Cineuropa Cineuropa is an online information portal dedicated to the promotion of European cinema. It publishes daily news, reviews, interviews, and industry reports and maintains a database of information. It is available in four languages: English, Fre ...

'' pointed out that, notwithstanding possible objections from some viewers about an "amoral or scandalous" nature, the story manages to address the issue of "the need for affection that we all have", wondering if this is "the most brilliantly contrived and terrible love story in cinema today". Raquel Hernández Luján of ''

HobbyConsolas ''HobbyConsolas'' is a Spanish video game magazine founded in 1991 by Hobby Press and published by Axel Springer SE. The first issue appeared in October 1991. The monthly magazine offers information about games for all consoles, and since 2012 ha ...

'' awarded the film 75 points ('good'), writing that Vermut delivers "a disconcerting film at times, suffocating at others, in which you never know what might happen and you are permanently on guard", and adding that a "very intelligent"

mise-en-scène (; or "what is put into the scene") is the stage design and arrangement of actors in scenes for a theatre or film production, both in the visual arts through storyboarding, visual themes, and cinematography and in narrative-storytelling through ...

helps to "demonstrate that it is not necessary to be excessively explicit in order to enter into the most obsessive, deep and disconcerting corners of people". Quim Casas of ''

El Periódico de Catalunya EL, El or el may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * El, a character from the manga series ''Shugo Chara!'' by Peach-Pit * Eleven (''Stranger Things'') (El), a fictional character in the TV series ''Stranger Things'' * El, fami ...

'' rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, describing it as "a complex and problematic film, because what it talks about is always problematic", and as more than simply unsettling, " nuncomfortable, restive, and discomfort- and uneasiness-inducing iewing. Manu Yáñez of ''

Fotogramas ''Fotogramas'' is a Spanish digital and print film magazine which has been in circulation since 1946. It is one of the early film magazines in Spain. History Founded in Barcelona, it was first published on 15 November 1946 by Antonio Nadal-Rodó ...

'' rated the film 5 out of 5 stars, noting that Vermut reneges on the aesthetic pirouettes and narrative twists present in his previous films, and remarking on "the sobriety of the scenic and writing work". Daniel de Partearroyo of ''

Cinemanía ''Cinemanía'' is a monthly film magazine based in Madrid, Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost po ...

'' also gave ''Manticore'' a 5-star rating, describing the film as "a hair-raising character study grappling with taboo and horror at the blackness before one's own soul" and as Vermut's "most polished and daring film to date". Giving the film another 5-star rating, Luis Martínez of '' El Mundo'' declared it to be "a prodigious film with a structure that is as simple as it is dense" and as the "consummation of a filmography now stripping itself of the juggling of ermut'sprevious works". Wendy Ide of ''

ScreenDaily ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company which also owned ''Broadcast''. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involve ...

'' proclaimed the film to be "a provocative and intelligently handled picture which explores the impact of isolation and social dislocation on a troubled soul".

Top ten lists

''Manticore'' appeared on a number of critics' Top Ten lists of the best films of 2022: It was included amongst the 10 best European films of 2022: Several critics also included the film in their Top 10 lists of best Spanish films of 2022:

Accolades

, - , align = "center" , 2022 , ,

28th Forqué Awards The 28th Forqué Awards, organised by EGEDA, were presented on 17 December 2022 at the IFEMA Palacio Municipal in Madrid. Background The ceremony paid homage to the career of Verónica Forqué, died in December 2021. The nominations were read ...

, , Best Film Actor , , Nacho Sánchez , , , , , - , rowspan = "17" align = "center" , 2023 , rowspan = "4" ,

15th Gaudí Awards The 15th Gaudí Awards ceremony, organised by the Catalan Film Academy, were held on 22 January 2023 at the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya's Oval Room. It was hosted by . Background The awards added three new categories, namely that of Bes ...

, , colspan = "2" , Best Non-Catalan Language Film , , , , rowspan = "4" , , - , Best New Performance , , Zoe Stein , , , - , Best Cinematography , , Alana Mejía González , , , - , Best Costume Design , , Vinyet Escobar , , , - , rowspan = "3" ,

10th Feroz Awards The 10th Feroz Awards ceremony, presented by the Asociación de Informadores Cinematográficos de España, took place at the Auditorio de Zaragoza in Zaragoza, Spain, on 28 January 2023, to recognize the best in Spanish cinema and television. This ...

, , Best Main Actor in a Film , , Nacho Sánchez , , , , rowspan = "3" , , - , Best Film Poster , , Carlos Vermut , , , - , Best Trailer , , Miguel Ángel Trudu , , , - , rowspan = "3" , 78th CEC Medals , , Best Director , , Carlos Vermut , , , , rowspan = "3" , , - , Best Actor , , Nacho Sánchez , , , - , Best New Actress , , Zoe Stein , , , - , rowspan = "4" ,

, ,

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * As ...

, , Carlos Vermut , , , , rowspan = "4" , , - ,

Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best ...

, , Carlos Vermut , , , - , Best Actor , , Nacho Sánchez , , , - , Best New Actress , , Zoe Stein , , , - , rowspan = "3" , 28th Toulouse Spanish Film Festival , , colspan = "2" ,

Golden Violet Golden violet is a common name for several violets with yellow flowers and may refer to: *'' Viola aurea'', native to eastern California and western Nevada *'' Viola douglasii'', or Douglas' golden violet *'' Viola pedunculata'', or California ...

, , , , rowspan = "3" , , - , Best Actor , , Nacho Sánchez , , , - , Best Cinematography , , Alana Mejía González , ,

References

External links

''Manticore''
at ICAA's ''Catálogo de Cinespañol'' * {{Authority control Films shot in Madrid Aquí y Allí Films films Spanish thriller films Films about pedophilia 2020s Spanish films 2020s Spanish-language films Films about virtual reality 2022 romantic drama films 2022 films Spanish romantic drama films Estonian drama films Estonian thriller films 2020s psychological drama films 2022 psychological thriller films Films set in Madrid Films shot in the province of Barcelona Spanish psychological drama films