THE COFFEE TABLE (LA MESITA DEL COMEDOR) movie poster | ©2024 Cinephobia Releasing

THE COFFEE TABLE (LA MESITA DEL COMEDOR) movie poster | ©2024 Cinephobia Releasing

Rating: Not Rated
Stars: David Pareja, Estefanía de los Santos, Josep Riera, Claudia Riera, Gala Flores, Eduardo Antuña, Cristina Dilla, Itziar Castro
Writers: Caye Casas & Cris Borobia
Director: Caye Casas
Distributor: Cinephobia Releasing
Release Date: April 19, 2024 (theatrical); May 14, 2024 (DVD/digital)

THE COFFEE TABLE (LA MESITA DEL COMEDOR) has been variously described as a horror movie and a black comedy. It doesn’t conform to the conventional notion of either of these genres. Rather, it is one answer to the question of what we get when the framework of a farce is placed around an almost literally unspeakable tragedy.

THE COFFEE TABLE has a horrific incident (imagine one of the worst things you can think of; this may or may not be worse than that) that propels what would otherwise be a familiar comedy plot. The tension between these two things keeps us riveted.

In the opening moments, we see María (Estefanía de los Santos) in childbirth. It looks extremely painful.

The rest of the film takes place over the course of a single day. María and her husband Jesús (David Pareja) and their baby son Cayetano are at a furniture store. The salesman (Eduardo Antuña) is pushing them to buy a glass-topped coffee table.

Jesús seems to want the coffee table primarily because María hates it. According to him, she has made most of the choices in their relationship, including when to have a baby (they’re middle-aged, but he wasn’t sure) and what to name the child (Jesús thinks Cayetano is a bad name, with a worse namesake).

The salesman guarantees that the coffee table will change Jesús and María’s lives. He’s just doing his spiel, but he turns out to be absolutely right.

To be clear, THE COFFEE TABLE isn’t a cursed-furniture movie. There’s nothing supernatural of any kind going on here. For that matter, there is no onscreen violence, and relatively little gore. It’s just that it has a confluence of events that most filmmakers wouldn’t dare present.

The actors are all excellent, surprising us within expectations we may have for their characters.

While this is perhaps not the main thrust of THE COFFEE TABLE, director Caye Casas, cowriter Cris Borobia and actor Pareja create a powerfully authentic portrait of severe depression. We feel Jesús’s inability to connect with those around him; he’s barely able to see or hear them through the weight of his pain. While in some movies, this kind of thing can be extraordinarily dull, in THE COFFEE TABLE, it’s mesmerizing, because we compulsively need to know what’s going to happen.

THE COFFEE TABLE should come with some trigger warnings. One is for people who, having experienced severe depression themselves, may find its accurate depiction awakens a sympathetic response that is not easily dismissed when the film ends.

The other trigger warning unfortunately is a massive spoiler. Perhaps the best advice to viewers who are serious about such cautions is that they should avoid THE COFFEE TABLE altogether. For more daring prospective audience members who want to see a well-made film that is certainly unique and never boring, THE COFFEE TABLE is the real deal.

In Spanish, with English subtitles.

Related: Movie Review: FORCE OF NATURE: THE DRY 2
Related: Movie Review: THE FALL GUY
Related: Movie Review: SOMETHING IN THE WATER
Related: Movie Review: I SAW THE TV GLOW
Related: Movie Review: THE THREE MUSKETEERS – PART II: MILADY
Related: Movie Review: BOY KILLS WORLD
Related: Movie Review: BREATHE
Related: Movie Review: GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE
Related: Movie Review: THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MAGICAL NEGROS
Related: Movie Review: KUNG FU PANDA 4
Related: Movie Review: IMAGINARY
Related: Movie Review: NIGHT SHIFT
Related: Movie Review: T-BLOCKERS
Related: Movie Review: DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS
Related: Movie Review: CELLPHONE
Related: Movie Review: NO WAY UP
Related: Movie Review: LISA FRANKENSTEIN
Related: Movie Review: OUT OF DARKNESS
Related: Movie Review: ARGYLLE
Related: Movie Review: DEPARTING SENIORS
Related: Movie Review:MILLER’S GIRL
Related: Movie Review: CULT KILLER
Related: Movie Review: THANKSGIVING
Related: Movie Review: HELLHOUNDS
Related: Movie Review: SUNRISE
Related: Movie Review: MEAN GIRLS
Related: Movie Review: NIGHT SWIM
Related: Movie Review: MAESTRO

Follow us on Twitter at ASSIGNMENT X
Like us on Facebook at ASSIGNMENT X

Article Source: Assignment X
Article: Movie Review: THE COFFEE TABLE (LA MESITA DEL COMEDOR)

Related Posts:

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Leave a Comment

CAPTCHA Image
*
Increase your website traffic with Attracta.com

Dr.5z5 Open Feed Directory

bottom round