Penumbra (2011)

“Penumbra” is another horror film that focuses on the actions of a cult and the outsider that unwittingly becomes involved. What make this a great movie is the well-developed main character, Marga, and the experiences that she has over several hours. She is a fierce lawyer from Barcelona who is in Buenos Aires to rent an apartment that she and her sister own. She hates being outside of Spain, thinks she’s better than everyone else (including her coworkers and sister) and she makes sure that everyone knows this. It’s this arrogance, and an odd confrontation, that leads her to her ultimate downfall and in a situation that she could never have imagined. Although the film has several long scenes that feel like they don’t belong or that they’re advancing the story, everything comes together as the sense of a creeping paranoia takes hold and grows up to the big reveal. Paranoia is a difficult feeling to capture on film and I feel that this movie does an excellent job of doing so.

Marga is in Buenos Aires to rent an apartment that she and her sister own. Her sister hates dealing with people so Marga has to make time out of her busy schedule to meet with the realtor and close the deal. She goes into the building and finds a man standing outside the door. She assumes he’s the realtor and when asked, he says yes. They go inside and she shows him around. Marga is about ready to leave since he doesn’t have any paperwork with him but he tells her that his client is willing to pay four times the asked amount and that the paperwork is on its way. With the temptation of a large payout, Marga stays and places a few rude calls to her office to cancel her afternoon meeting. As the time goes by and Marga performs tedious tasks like cleaning and running to a store to buy supplies, more individuals show up claiming to be from the real estate agency. Eventually she realizes that they’re not with any real estate agency and when she tries to get help from those she’s insulted or put off, she becomes a hostage to a cult that wants her apartment, a place where unique drawings and instructions are painted on the walls that were covered up by wall paper and furniture that are required for a special ritual that can only be performed today during the total eclipse of the sun….