The real moments of horror in this caustic adolescent character study don’t play out when the blood is flowing. More uncomfortable than the glimpses of physical torture are the extended scenes of mental torment, in which Sara (Laura Galán, impressive) is persecuted, to her face and in the combat arena of social media, by three mean girls in her village in rural Spain. The film’s title refers to the girls’ nickname for Sara, but their taunting goes far beyond name-calling. So when she witnesses the abduction of her bullies by a bearded stranger who previously dropped her a crumb of kindness, her first instinct is to leave the girls to their grisly fates.
There’s an atmospheric, unsavoury oiliness to the cinematography and an uncomfortable tussle of sympathies – director Carlota Pereda shows real promise as a genre film-maker.
