Unleash Your Rage (FANTASTIC) at the Horrors of Father-Son Werewolf Drama
Title: Rage
First Non-Festival Release: October 4, 2023 (Digital/Streaming Platforms)
Director: Jorge Michel Grau
Writer: Jorge Michel Grau
Runtime: 93 Minutes
Starring: Juan Manuel Bernal, Maximiliano Nájar Márquez, Mayra Batalla
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
This film’s review was written after its screening at the Fantastic Film Festival in 2023.
Following the death of his mother, Alan (Maximiliano Nájar Márquez) and his father Alberto (Juan Manuel Bernal) travel to the home of his deceased uncle to sort out their affairs. The duo is met with suspicion and aggravation from the locals due to his uncle’s unpaid bills and damages to the neighborhood. As their neighbors seethe at Alberto’s refusal to pay off his brother’s debts, their living situation gets more precarious. Escalating tactics of graffiti, vandalism, and assault on their home only add more fuel to the fire leading to a terrifying realization for Alan about his family.
A slow burn horror drama, Rage offers a quiet take on the werewolf myth while balancing a grounded coming-of-age tale.
The concept of paying for the sins of your father, uncle in this case, is put to the test as Alberto and Alan navigate a new neighborhood that hates them for what Rodrigo has done to them. Alan doesn’t understand why the town hates them and Alberto fails to articulate the dangers around them. Giving half-hearted warnings to stay inside without any consequence for failing, Alberto continuously makes things less safe for Alan as he doesn’t explain what is happening to them. When things come to a broil and the town feels that history is repeating itself, Alan is forced to reckon with the mess that his uncle left him and his father while he is still trying to figure himself out at the same time.
Subverting typical tropes that child-focused horror offers, Rage allows its young protagonist to navigate the world in a realistic and tragic manner. Spending days by himself, Alan only really gets to interact with adults rather than kids his own age. He has already been forced to grow up beyond his years, spending all day taking care of and entertaining himself after his mother passed. His only non-familial contact comes from his father’s old friend (Mayra Batalla) and a shut-in that speaks to him of his uncle’s problems. Alan’s coming-of-age moments aren’t depicted with pride or glee. He repeatedly falls into vices, refuses to bathe, and can hardly feed himself. What guides him is his wanton curiosity for a world his father won’t explain to him, which is devastating for him and the audience alike.
The father-son relationship is put to the test as Rage reminds its audience members that the only person who can kill a werewolf is someone they love. It’s clear that there is a strain on Alberto and Alan from the moment they step into the village. After his mother’s death, Alan is left looking to Alberto for guidance and support but gets silence and frustration instead. At just the right age to understand something is wrong but with none of the vocabulary to articulate it, Alan resorts to acting out and exploring his surroundings to stick it to his father for leaving him in the dark. Alberto always sticks up for his son but doesn’t understand how to lead without using anger or harsh words. He loves Alan but cannot express it in a way that he understands, which allows for Alan’s own hurt to fester. Even when the two share some brutal moments of truth, it’s too late to fully stop the inevitable from happening. When love is required to kill a werewolf, both Alan and Alberto will understand the haunting nature of that mythical rule.
Without strong performances from its leading actors, Rage would fizzle into obscurity long before its explosive finale. While not always on-screen, Juan Manuel Bernal portrays Alberto with a steely grit that anchors the story nicely. Without giving too much away of his own struggles, Bernal makes Alberto mysterious in his own right before giving way to his emotions once he feels there is no control left in the situation. Maximiliano Nájar Márquez is left to shoulder the burden of much of the film, as Alan is left to wander the empty streets of the sleepy suburb. Márquez plays Alan with a certain reservation that wavers only when he brushes with his father. Capturing the innocence of young rebellion without comprehending the consequences of his actions, Márquez ensures that Alan’s undoing is even more tragic than on paper.
For fans of slow-burn family horror dramas, Rage will be a delectable treat of Mexican lycanthropy that will satiate a hunger you never knew was there. A powerful tale on the necessity of communication and truth, Rage is more interested in crafted compelling characters and radiating its audience in uncomfortable tension than going for cheap scares. Beautifully filmed and well-acted, the latest offering from writer/director Jorge Michel Grau is a solid addition to the werewolf cannon. No full moon is necessary to explain just how good Rage can be for you even if it doesn’t feel good in the moment.
Overall Score? 7/10
