A YARD OF JACKALS: Not Your Standard Political Thriller

A YARD OF JACKALS (Blu-ray)

2024 / 108 min

Indiepix

Review by Princess Pepper😺

When I finish a film thinking, “What the hell did I just watch?,” it generally means one of two things. Either it’s two hours of my life won’t get back, or the movie is so weird, surreal and intriguingly perplexing that it resonates long after the credits roll. The Chilean film, A Yard of Jackals is among the latter. 

It’s 1975, and Chile is ruled by a military dictatorship. Raul (Nestor Cantillana) lives in a small apartment where he cares for his ailing mother while earning a living constructing models commissioned by that same military. He’s also kind of sweet on Laura (Blanca Lewin), who operates a nearby shop with her younger sister (Maria Jesus Marcone).

His efforts to keep a low profile are put to the test when mysterious new neighbors move into the apartment next door, one of whom always seems omnipresent, watching Raul through windows or from his car on the street. Though never named, he’s played with subtle menace by Rodrigo Perez. It soon becomes clear that the apartment is being used to torture members of a political resistance movement.

Raul fiercely guards his laundry.

While that’s the nutshell plot, A Yard of Jackals does not unfold like a standard political thriller. In fact, it largely achieves the tone of a slow burning horror film, punctuated by an overall aesthetic that feels downright claustrophobic at times. The narrative is presented entirely from Raul’s point of view, which includes surreal sequences and imagery that kind of establish him as an unreliable narrator.

However, this isn’t a difficult story to follow, and for patient viewers, the way writer-director Diego Figueroa slowly builds dread is pretty impressive. But what really makes the film memorable is the climax and denouement, which I can almost guarantee you won’t see coming. If nothing else, it’s a shocker of a plot-twist, yet ultimately makes complete sense within the context of what’s previously transpired. 

At the same time, I can imagine some viewers considering that same twist to be a frustratingly ambiguous way to end a movie, perhaps feeling they just endured a two-hour bait & switch. I’ll also concede there are moments where the pace could’ve been just a little bit snappier. A Yard of Jackals is expanded from a short film also directed by Figueroa, and it sometimes kinda shows. Aside from that, it’s a quietly unnerving experience.

EXTRA KIBBLES

MAKING-OF FEATURETTE - Features director and cast interviews.

IN-PICTURE COMMENTARY - By writer/director Diego Figueroa and filmmaker Inti Carrozo-Ortiz.

TRAILER

SIRÂT and the Arduous Journey

SIRÂT (Blu-ray)

2025 / 115 min

Neon

Available at MovieZyng.com

Review by Princess Pepper😸

Two of my favorite films are 1953’s The Wages of Fear and 1977’s Sorcerer, which were both adapted from the same novel. Though aesthetically different from each other, they beautifully (and bleakly) depict a harrowing journey by a group of people driven by desperation. While not based on Georges Arnaud’s book, Sirât immerses the viewer in a narratively similar odyssey and could almost be considered a spiritual remake. Or maybe reimagining is a better word. Either way, if another perilous drive into the heart of darkness is what you seek, look no further.

But since the narrative doesn’t involve a suicide mission transporting explosives, it initially doesn’t seem like a hell of a lot is at stake. Taking place in a Moroccan desert, concerned father Luis (Sergi Lopez) arrives at a drug-fueled rave in search of his missing daughter. He and his son, Esteban (Bruno Nunez Arjona), pass her photo around, but no one recognizes her. However, a small group of ravers, more-or-less led by Jade (Jade Oukid), suggest she may have moved on to a second rave about to take place some distance away. Jade's group is heading there, too, in a couple of heavy-duty off-road vans. Though they discourage him from doing so, Luis and Esteban follow along in their ill-equipped minivan across rugged desert.

It’s an arduous journey, during which time the father and son develop something of a bond with these ravers. However, little is actually revealed about any of the characters beyond their unwavering drive (no pun intended) to reach their destination. In fact, we don’t even know the circumstances surrounding the daughter’s disappearance. So it’s a credit to director/co-writer Oliver Laxe that we become invested in them anyway.

"That's the last time I ask Siri for directions."

As they venture deeper into the desert, the trip becomes more dangerous, the overall tone increasingly dark. Periodically, it’s even subtly suggested that something terrible (maybe even apocalyptic) might be occurring outside of this circle of friends. If that’s the case, it certainly exacerbates the growing desperation among the ravers themselves. That aspect of the narrative remains as ambiguous as the daughter’s whereabouts, which might frustrate some viewers, but Laxe wisely focuses almost entirely on the journey, which turns tragic at one point and includes a stunning sequence where the group discover they’ve driven into a minefield. It's a scene as nerve-wracking and tension filled as the classic bridge episode in Sorcerer.  

Like the films from which it draws obvious inspiration, Sirât is beautifully shot, its bleak, nearly surreal aesthetic befitting the overall tone and enhanced by a pulsing electronic score by Kangding Ray (similar to what Tangerine Dream’s music did for Sorcerer). The performances are uniformly solid, which is impressive considering the cast of ravers consists of non-actors. Laxe struggles with finding closure to his story, but until then, Sirât is an outstanding film, not to be missed. It was nominated for Best International Feature at this year’s Oscars…and should’ve won.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - The Actor’s Work; The Invisible Family; Electric Matter; Sirât and Oliver Laxe; Sergi Lopez as Luis; Bruno Nunez Arjona as Esteban. These pieces are pretty short, running 3-5 minutes each, and mostly feature interviews with Laxe and his cast.

TEASER & TRAILER