A film that was recommended to me some time ago (by Christianne, who does great writing and other blog content here), In A Glass Cage was never at the top of my "to watch" list because I had heard about the main premise. It's a dark and disturbing tale that explores very uncomfortable material, but generally does so in a way that tries to shock viewers without completely pushing them away.
Klaus (Günter Meisner) is confined to an iron lung after an unsuccessful suicide attempt. You might have pity for him, but the opening scenes hint at his passion for cruelty and death. Klaus is a former Nazi who would torture and abuse children. Unbelievably, he remains married to Griselda (Marisa Paredes), but the situation is taking a toll on her, and making her wonder if she can continue to play the loving wife. It might be better if Klaus would just die. In comes young Angelo (David Sust), a young man who is interested in taking on the role of nurse/carer to Klaus. Griselda doesn't like Angelo, and doesn't think he is right for the job, but Klaus wants him to stay. It turns out that the two share some history, and Angelo doesn't want to leave the past in the past.
Despite his film career having spanned the better part of four decades, I am unfamiliar with writer-director Agustí Villaronga. All I know about him is that this was his feature debut, which is a hell of a start to a full film career. I was certainly aware of this title before it was specifically recommended to me, having seen it on lists that suggest "most disturbing movies" for those not too faint of heart, but I wasn't sure if it would be something actually worth my time (which rarely stops me from watching anything, but can often lead to certain titles hanging around in the low priority section). Thank goodness for friends who know are there to give the occasional nudge.
When it comes to the central performances, Meisner, Paredes, and Sust are all pretty great, even while performing with very different levels of physicality and emotional transparency. Young Gisèle Echevarría is also very good, playing Rena (daughter of Klaus and Griselda), and her story arc is arguably the spine of the whole thing, which gives viewers one pure and innocent soul, for want of a better phrase, to be invested in while others onscreen engage in a very macabre dance that inextricably connects them via a series of exposed and raw nerves.
Because of the many scenes set in one room, due to the location of the iron long, there’s a constant atmosphere of oppression and gathering clouds of pain and violence. It isn’t unbearable though, which is arguably the greatest trick that Villaronga manages to pull off, and feels closer to a drama about people being infected by a rapidly-developing cancer than the simplistic gross-out horror that it could have been.
Unpleasant but engrossing, this is a look at the cycle of trauma that takes things to extremes without distracting from the horrible truths sprinkled throughout it. It’s certainly worth your time, but be sure that you have suitably prepared your headspace before pressing play.
8/10
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