Thesis ★★★

ONE of the most heralded first features by a current writer/director was the 1996 horror/thriller Thesis.

The film won seven Spanish Goya Awards, including Best Film, Best Original Screenplay and Best Director.

Alejandro Amenábar would go on to make four better, even exceptional, films – Open Your Eyes in 1997, The Others (2001), The Sea Inside (2004) and Agora (2007).

Apart from its topical script, which examines the perception of screen violence in society, Thesis was praised for all aspects of its film technique which harked back to the ground-breaking work of Alfred Hitchcock in these genres.

Amenábar’s film is set in present time, in and around a university in Madrid where the main character, Angela, is studying.

The theme is set early in the film when a man commits suicide by jumping in front of a train that Angela is travelling on. Passengers are led out of the station and told to divert their eyes from the horrific scene but some, including Angela, try to sneak a look.

At University Angela speaks to Professor Figueroa about her plan to write a thesis on the impact of screen violence. She asks him to help her find the most violent films in the school’s library and he directs her to a fellow student, Chema, who is known for collecting violent and pornographic videos.

The pair eventually uncover what could be an authentic film of a missing student being tortured and murdered. Their further investigations bring them into contact with the girl’s mysterious former boyfriend Bosco.

The film’s serious themes don’t always sit neatly inside the standard horror narrative and the quality of acting performances is uneven.

But there is no doubting the skill with which Amenábar tackles the suspenseful moments.

Watched on Shudder.