Painless

Leider kann ich nicht sagen, dass mir Insensibles richtig gefallen hat. Diese spanische Angelegenheit hat nur gelegentlich etwas mit Horror zu tun, was natürlich nicht gleich ein Problem bedeutet. Es ist eher ein mysteriöses Drama mit einer langsamen Geschwindigkeit und einer etwas melancholischen Atmosphäre. Technisch gesehen ist es in Ordnung, aber das Drehbuch stolpert am Ende. Es ist auch schade um die äußerst uninteressante Geschichte in der Gegenwart, die Vergangenheit ist viel besser. (22.04.2013)

Very disappointing. I like Spanish productions in general, especially when they are “thrillers with a mystery”, like Painless. Its atmosphere and aesthetics are very close to those good Spanish thrillers, but what’s the point when it all results in such awful bullshit? The whole history, the whole story is very poorly told, I feel. And the line in the present is pretty predictable. As the ending approached I prayed that the creators would not ruin it completely, so I could give it at least a weak three stars… but alas. It ended exactly as I feared it would. I don’t remember when was the last time I saw a film ending that had such a terrible effect on me. It wanted to be sad and poignant, but I had to make an effort not to burst in laughter. (23.02.2013)

The film Painless may bore some people. Some will be thrilled by how unpleasant it is, how it can dig into your spine like the claws of a beast. That's what I liked about the film, because there are scenes that you simply don't see anywhere else, and they're scenes that you'll remember. Not every film can do this, and this is also unfortunately true in the horror genre. Painless is a pleasant exception. (22.10.2018)