A lack of closure following the death of a loved one can be devastating. Having things left unsaid, or the last time you see someone being unpleasant; these are the things that can haunt us for the rest of our lives. Patricio Valladares uses this very real and all too common phenomenon as a springboard into a deeper flavor of horror in Lo Que Trajo La Marea (What The Tide Dragged In).
Clara isn’t having the best time. She’s returned home after years of estrangement with her mother and sister Martina to settle their mother’s estate. In addition to the grief of losing a parent without closure , Clara is dealing also her sisters’ resentment of her seemingly abandoning the family. When the two of them decide on an impromptu swim after scattering their mothers’ ashes at the beach, Martina is briefly swept out to sea. Upon her return, Clara begins to suspect that something about her sister is a bit…off. She doesn’t remember anything from the day prior and her mannerisms are somewhat strange. Thus, Clara has another problem.
This is a very sleek and streamlined film. Valladares immediately and effectively establishes the mood of the film as drab and dreary and washed out. The setting, a seaside town in rural Spain, is perfect at embodying the gray and colorless feel of grief and sadness. And despite there being a town not far from where the film takes place, Valladares creates a film that feels incredibly isolated and remote, like something from a Lovecraft story where there’s a remote fishing village with a dark secret. You know the one. There’s no wasted space in this movie. Every shot is lean and full of purpose, propelling it towards to an increasingly anticipated and dreaded revelation.
Maria Jesus Marcone as Clara gives us an audience surrogate whose unspooling sense of horror matches our own. Clara is seemingly exhausted from the events she’s recently endured, and the vulnerability she projects is as endearing as it is relatable. She only becomes even more endearing as the film progresses and slips into the realm of the supernatural. And Luna Martinez as the ill-fated Martina is magnificent, giving her character just a touch of otherness upon her return, just enough to make the viewer question their perception of the film.
Grief is hell. Losing someone and carrying around all the unsaid whatevers with you is bad enough. But feeling like you’ve lost someone while they’re seemingly still in your life, in front of you, is light years worse. Patricio Valladares uses a seemingly out there concept to convey a very real and human fear to the viewer, channeling a near universal experience through a bizarre scenario to create an utterly fascinating film.
