HOLE (Spain)

The term "minimalist" has been overused, mostly by critics who usually confine their viewing to commercial movies. Here comes a film that truly deserves the designation. By the time Hole opens, Miguel has been kidnapped and brought to a "zulo", which means "hole" in Basque but refers specifically to a space that looks like an indoor well. It is said that the Basque separatist organization ETA used "zulos" to hide arms and captives, but the film avoids any specificity, refusing to identify Miguel's two kidnappers and explain why they captured him. They remain nameless and hidden behind masks for the duration of the film. Hole is not a character study either. All we learn about Miguel is what can be deduced by observation: he's about forty, wears nice clothes, and has a gold wedding ring. The kidnappers refuse to answer any questions, and there are no real conversations, only verbal exchanges regarding food, tobacco, water, etc. Hole is strictly experiential, in that we get to witness the gradual physical and psychological deterioration of Miguel, and how he responds overtime to such a predicament. All the suspense is generated by whether he is freed or killed.

Director Carlos Martin Ferrara deploys a varied choreography of shots inside the restricted space in which the film takes place. For instance, tracking shots are used to follow Miguel when he exercises by fast-walking around the periphery of the "zulo". When something is lowered to the bottom by the kidnappers, vertical shots follow the object all the way down. A single, brief establishing shot of an isolated wooden house, where Miguel is being kept one assumes, acquires significance because of its singularity. Jaume Garcia's performance is absolutely riveting from beginning to end; a work of intense focus and concentration. Obviously, Hole is a film for specialized audiences who can appreciate the rigorous execution of an experiential conceit.