Advertisement

Review | Film review: The Invisible Guest – Spanish murder mystery a fun ride despite implausible turns

Director Oriol Paulo’s film tugs at the loose threads of a man’s alibi who is accused of murdering his lover, exposing how just one lie can unravel into a full-blown tragedy

Reading Time:1 minute
Why you can trust SCMP
Mario Casas plays a man who is accused of murdering his mistress in the film The Invisible Guest (category IIA, Spanish), directed by Oriol Paulo. The film also stars Barbara Lennie, Ana Wagener and Jose Coronado.

3/5 stars

Advertisement

A wealthy Barcelona businessman accused of murdering his mistress has just three hours to prepare his testimony in The Invisible Guest, a stylish and complex thriller by Spanish writer-director Oriol Paulo.

Adrian Doria (Mario Casas) claims that both he and his lover, Laura (Barbara Lennie), were attacked by an unseen assailant, who then vanished from their locked hotel room. His lawyer sends top witness coach Virginia Gooseman (Ana Wagener) to help him get his story straight before the judge calls him to the stand, which could happen any minute.

Barbara Lennie plays the lover in the film.
Barbara Lennie plays the lover in the film.

Similar in execution to Bryan Singer’s The Usual Suspects , The Invisible Guest unfolds in a series of flashbacks, as Adrian hastily recounts the events leading up to Laura’s death, while Virginia’s probing questions untangle a web of lies dating back to the disappearance of a young man three months previously.

Film review: All the Money in the World – Christopher Plummer shines as misanthropic billionaire in Ridley Scott’s kidnap thriller

Paulo’s screenplay tugs expertly at the loose threads of Adrian’s alibi, exposing how a single lie or poor decision can unravel into a full-blown tragedy that ruins families and claims lives. The assured, at times bombastic direction, as well as the passionate performances, help distract from the more implausible aspects of the plot, which never quite proves as clever as Paulo thinks it is.

Advertisement