7/10
Better than average comedy , some claustrophobic , but full of twists and turns
16 February 2023
Competent black comedy about a crazy road flick with protagonists using an app to share car to travel , being well paced, adequately played and delightfully entertaining . Dialogue-filled Bla Bla Car road trip with plenty of comical situations and a lot of thrills and tension. As the twisted problems begin when in a travel four strangers join , resulting in fateful consequences . The weight of the film falls on the front seats, Ana (Ana Polvorosa) and annoying, fastidious driver Julián (Salva Reina) . The latter achieves a composition full of nuances to viewer's suspicions, as the plot is filled with coincidences and contradictions . While the rest of the passengers, -Elisa (Andrea Duro) and Miguel (Pol Monen), - whose faces and reactions in the background are unmissable- observe and suspect sinister purports. Dealing with only four characters locked inside a car that one Sunday in April make the journey to Madrid -Cieza.

Director Martín Cuervo's film debut that turns a thriller/comedy into a sui-generis style yarn . Black comedy , amusing situations , and rare roles by outlandish filmmaker Martin Cuervo who wrote as well . An unclassifiable debut in the world of feature films , the director brings us a very mixed bag of bizarre characters , rapid dialogs , and absurd situations in a luxury car concentrating on the relationship among four off-the-wall roles. A disconcerting road movie combined with crazy comedy, being an austerily enjoyable and brightly colored film . It can be very funny and very moving at the same time, so it was the perfect combination for me . This is a peculiar and fun flick in which Martin Cuervo establishes uniquely breathtaking and visually striking style , providing innumerable virtues in its barely 90-minute duration. A madcap road movie that boasts a nice and attractive cast giving enjoyable interpretations . Being Salva Reina who steals the show as the deranged , troublesome passenger who will spark a dramatic change in the course of events . As Reina in a state of grace , bordering on exaggeration and whose capacity for improvisation manages to make credible an offbeat story . Claustrophobic dramedy , road movie , thriller with Macguffin included , any of the labels that can be applied to Martín Cuervo's film that falls short for the complexity of a seemingly friendly proposal, but full of twists , turns and unexpected surprises . Shooting based on the filmmaker's own experiences as a BlaBlaCar user, the film is a compendium of anecdotes turned into a lucid script that makes the most of the acting qualities of its four protagonists.

The picture swings between humour , thriller , suspense and tension , in this case in the guise of a hilarious road movie combined with intrigue . A worthy heiress to Rafael Azcona's ¨costumbrismo¨, this ¨With Whom You Travel¨ or ¨Con quién viajas¨(2021) portrays the twisted events of some youthful travelers with a sarcastic malaise before the astonished gaze of a spectator who doesn't quite know whether to laugh or scream . The existence of the disruptive element that conditions everything from the initial shot manages to generate an underground tension that with skill and a devilish rhythm Martín Cuervo transforms into a comedy of the absurd , while serving to introduce us to its four main characters. Although, without underestimating the technical aspects, where the film plays its greatest asset is in the message that underlies the different intertwined plots .Showing the new social reality with the depersonalization of relationships , the dependence of social networks and social webs : whasapp, twitter , Instagram , Tinder , and the lack of communication , toxic masculinity and other prejudices . Issues that shape our way of relating today and on which Cuervo reflects without falling into underlining and appealing to the intelligence of the viewer. This ¨Con quien viajas¨ bears certain resemblance to ¨Alex de la Iglesia's El Cuarto pasajero¨(2022) starred by Alberto San Juan , Blanca Suárez , Rubén Cortada and Ernesto Alterio .

Adequate work also by cameraman Pablo Bürmann (Caronte, Atlánticas) as director of photography and successful score by Iván Valdés, which accentuates the climax of a film that contains more than one final surprise. This black humored picture was compellingly directed by Hugo Martin Cuervo . The filmmaker's ability to move the camera inside the vehicle gives us several surprising shots that credit his talent, already proven during his long career as a short filmmaker . This original proposal certifies Hugo Martín Cuervo as one of the filmmakers to follow in the coming years. This is without a doubt a thrilling and agreeable movie to be enjoyed for dark humor buffs . Rating : 6.5/10. Above average. Well worth watching.
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