Film: Hidden Face

A successful orchestra conductor is shattered when his girlfriend leaves him for no apparent reason after moving into a new house.

Time moves on and he finds a new lover but she doesn’t like being left in the house alone as she is convinced she can hear strange noises.

This superior Columbian drama tells its story by way of two different time-lines. We begin with the new relationship but soon go back to previous events with the original partner, leading to a brilliant finale that cleverly joins both stories.

Every so often a film comes along that greatly exceeds expectations. Hidden Face is such a film.

I knew little of it prior to watching it but I was expecting a ho-hum ghost story. Little did I know I was about to be treated to the best foreign language film I have seen in a long time, and thankfully there isn’t a ghost in sight.

Original, imaginative and totally compelling with great performances from the three main characters, Hidden Face is the type of film that I implore people to see.

If you have any reservations about subtitled movies try this and you’ll never look back.     

Hidden Face is available on DVD in the UK now.

Ric’s rating: Essential.