Watching Hatred: A Stiff Bit of Old-School Drama

Is this thing worth your time?

Honestly, only if you have a high tolerance for people standing in drawing rooms shouting about their honor. If you’re the type of person who digs through archives to see how movies were glued together before the modern era, you’ll find a few gems here. If you’re looking for a brisk Friday night flick, keep walking. You’ll probably hate the pacing if you need something that moves faster than a tectonic plate.

The whole thing feels incredibly stage-bound. It’s like the camera was told to stay in the corner and pray nobody moved too fast. You can almost see the floor markings if you squint hard enough. There’s this one scene where Manuel París is just pacing, and the camera lingers for about ten seconds longer than it needs to. It’s awkward, but in a way that feels kind of charming, like a neighbor forgetting his lines during a backyard play.

It’s hard to shake the feeling that this movie is trying way too hard to convince you that these people are in deep, existential trouble. Every reaction shot is held until it turns into a staring contest. I couldn't help but think about how much more fluid things were in movies like The Barricade, which had a bit more snap to its editing.

Odd little observations:

• The lighting in the second act is surprisingly moody, almost like they ran out of bulbs and just decided to make it a stylistic choice.
• The dialogue is so formal it sounds like they’re reading from a manual on how to be miserable.
• I kept waiting for someone to trip over a rug, but they were all far too busy being devastated.
• The extras in the background have this look on their faces like they’d rather be literally anywhere else, which is honestly a mood.

It’s not as goofy as the stuff you’d see in something like Golfmania, but it shares that same sense of being trapped in a specific moment of filmmaking history that hasn't quite figured out how to be natural yet. 🎞️

There’s a weird, hollow feeling to the whole production. It’s like the sets were built just for this one scene and then immediately dismantled before the actors could finish their tea. Maybe that’s just the age of the film talking, but it makes the whole thing feel thin. I found myself checking my watch, not because I was bored, but because I couldn't tell if the scene had been playing for three minutes or three hours.

Still, there’s a certain grim intensity to Antonia Plana that keeps you watching. She’s doing a lot of heavy lifting with just her eyes, which is probably for the best given how many words she’s forced to say. It’s a strange movie. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it, but I’m definitely going to be thinking about that one awkward camera angle for at least another day. 🤷‍♂️