PARA ELISA is the feature debut of Juanra Fernandez. The film follows Ana (Ona Casamiquela) a young, soon to be college graduate in need of funds for her upcoming graduation trip. When her mother fails to come through with the cash, she answers an advertisement for a nanny, hoping that babysitting will prove to be an easy way to pay for the trip.
When she arrives at the home for her interview, she is greeted by the lady of the house, Diamantia (Luisa Gavasa), a former child piano prodigy and all-around kooky character. The two sit down to tea and a discussion of the position, watched over by Diamantia’s massive collection of porcelain dolls (and hey, we all know that anyone who collects dolls has to be at least a little nuts, right?).
But the creepy doll lady is only part of Ana’s trouble – the rest lies in Elisa (Ana Turpin), Diamantia’s daughter. And though Elisa does need care, she is not the child that was described in the ad. Instead, Ana finds herself face to face with a grown woman, dressed as a little girl and living the life of a five-year old under her mother’s constant care. Added to the general creep factor of this scenario, Elisa is quite dangerous, prone to violent outbursts and fits of rage. Ana discovers that she has been lured into the house, not to be Elisa’s caregiver, but to be Elisa’s doll, and soon finds herself trapped.
The film is a decent entry into the captivity sub-genre, and Fernandez helps it along by diving straight in. No time is wasted here. After a brief introduction to Ana and a couple of supporting characters, we are following her tentatively into the flat, wondering just what horrors could possibly be lurking among the china dolls (as if creepy dolls aren’t horrifying enough). After we enter the apartment, the film rarely slows its pace, as Ana struggles to understand just what Diamantia has in mind for her, and if she has any hope of escaping. There is very little downtime in this one, with each scene leading nicely into the next, upping the ante at each turn.
Luisa Gavasa and Ona Casamiquela are quite the horrific pair as Diamantia and Elisa. Diamantia embodies a more conniving, malicious brand of evil, while Elisa, in her regressed state of mind, embodies more of a violent, unchecked id, acting completely of its own accord and unable to be controlled, even by her doting mother. They are very different, yet equally formidable and terrifying captors. Fernandez utilizes the claustrophobic setting nicely, setting up a space that traps the audience as much as it traps the heroine, and using it effectively in building the tension throughout the story.
The film handles its sense of suspense well, always amping up quickly but steadily and never stalling out. The downside is that PARA ELISA never really brings anything to the table that we haven’t already seen before in other films. Part MISERY, part HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, part WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?, it’s an effective story, but not one that breaks any new ground. But it succeeds in what it sets out to do. Your mind may not be blown, but you will certainly be entertained. What we have here is an effective exercise in captivity and psychological storytelling done right, and if that’s all you are asking from it, it will certainly deliver.
