(ESP-ENG) Mr Harrigan's phone, un engaño de película // Mr Harrigan's phone, a movie hoax!

Hello friends, good vibes to all.

Source!

Taking advantage of the fact that we are in the month of horror and that we are getting closer and closer to Halloween, I decided that many of the things I see during this October will be of the genre that I like to see the most, but also the one that I can be most disappointed with. I'm tired of saying that the term horror cannot be taken lightly, anything that has a supernatural background cannot be considered within the genre nor those stories that involve a perennial mystery that makes us wonder and question many things during the film. And that was the mistake made by those in charge of cataloging this film, they sell us a terrifying plot when the reality is that we are facing an ordinary drama.

I've also commented on it here but I'm one of those people who watch the trailers and read the reviews, so to say that I was surprised would be a lie, but it's true that I expected something else, I wanted to give it a chance to change my mind but sadly that was far from being true. The contradiction? - That the movie itself is not so bad, it's just NOT TERROR; I find it hard to understand, or well not really, why they are deceiving me and wanting to show something that is far away from true horror. I guess they shield themselves by saying that it is a Stephen King story and there people fall into the trap. But well, let's talk a little about this plot and what it's about...

Source!

The story begins with Craig (Jaeden Martell), a young man who lives in one of those small towns that are extremely common in the United States. He is very intelligent, a normal boy who goes to school, a good student and person and who is particularly good at reading. One day at one of the town's masses he is observed by Mr. Harrigan (Donald Sutherland), a very old man with a lot of money, we could say he is a multimillionaire, but also very lonely and it is because of this that he notices Craig. Having so much grace to read Mr. Harrigan decides that the young man works for him reading books for several days a week, Craig agrees and it is at that moment when a very nice friendship begins.

Years went by and Craig always went to Mr. Harrigan's house to read, the friendship they had developed was already a close one, one that had books and cell phones as its axis; on the one hand this young man had his reasons to never miss and the older man had his own reasons to continue with the arrangement he had reached with Craig years before. Until one day everything changed and as was evident Mr. Harrigan dies which represents a major emotional blow to Craig; but the point here is that at the time of his burial Mr. Harrigan is buried with his phone, one that has a background that you will see in the film. This would not be strange if Craig, out of sadness, tried to call his dead friend and he received an answer...

Source!

This film can be anything but horror, we can see an important drama, intrigue because there is always like an aura of not knowing exactly what is happening and even a mystery as this would go hand in hand with the above. It seeks to create an atmosphere as if something from beyond was happening or was about to happen but the reality is that nothing happens, if you expect to find some jump scare throughout the plot I'm sorry to disappoint you that this will not happen and the story could lend itself to that but I think they took another path. A path that goes more with everything that has to do with interpersonal and family relationships, the intrinsic value of a friendship, dealing with the loss of a person, that is, I feel it goes a lot about how we react to death; she is the center of everything here.

The film starts giving us a little context about the main characters, how they are, what they do and then gradually develop all the relationships that we get to see here. It is very likely that at first it seems slow but I tell you that this is the rhythm of the whole film, the strange thing is that at least I did not get bored and when I understood that this is not what I expected, I kind of resigned myself and began to see it with different eyes and it was here where the story is seen. I'm not going to say that I enjoyed it but I repeat, the big mistake was to have sold it as something that never in a million years is going to do, a scary story.

Source!

As I said, an attempt is made to create a "gloomy" and "gloomy" atmosphere behind the whole story of Craig's day to day life, one that at times is appreciated but mostly end up being clichés that come to nothing without contributing at all. The plot is narrated from the perspective of the young man, he tells what is happening and that is what the film is about, as if it were a story. There is no blood, no violence, no cliffhanger or even less pilot twist, it is a flat story that ends without resolving or clarifying anything. I have not read the corresponding book by Stephen King so I don't know the original story, I only give my opinion of the film and this is one that if it were not for the performances of the protagonists, the truth is that we would be in front of a movie more of the heap.

It should be noted that Donald Sutherland is 87 years old, maybe one year younger at the time of shooting this film, and yet he is still a reference in acting. For what this film is, I quite liked his character, a lonely man, who has the reputation of being a tough person but who deep down is nothing more than an old man in a big mansion. The premise of the film invites us to think that there is something hidden in him and that everything that happens is because of him, something inexplicable and it may be so but well, you will have to see the film to draw your own conclusions.

Source!

We must also talk about Jaeden Martell who played a role a little heavy because his character is one who has gone through many things in the story, a family loss and that of his great friend, bullying, wanting to fit into a society where everything is measured by the brand of phone you have, because yes, I feel there is a social criticism on that issue which ultimately leads Craig to seek solace in his deceased friend. He is a sad young man but with a great desire to better himself, more than for himself for those around him. You empathize a lot with both characters and that is what I most appreciate about this film.

In short, a film that is a pure drama very far from the horror and suspense that it was thought to be. It can be seen but for me it fell short, not so much in its development but in its outcome, there was something that did not convince me. I give it a 6/10 because I'm not going to say it's terrible but it won't be one of the best, far from it. You can find it on Netflix and it's less than two hours long. Again Netflix doing the regular stuff.... I leave the trailer for you to take a look.

Well friends that's all for today, I hope you liked it.
¡A hug to everyone, see you next time!