Official synopsis: Aitana (Roser Tapias) returns home for the first time in three years, excited to introduce her wife (Yapoena Silva as Gabi) and their adopted infant son to her extended family and celebrate Christmas together. The family villa in the Spanish countryside is exactly as she remembers – except for the addition of Nadia (Anna Kurikka), a Romanian refugee who has claimed Aitana’s bedroom, her clothes, and her family heirlooms. Why have Aitana’s conservative parents, long suspicious of immigrants, embraced the mysterious Nadia with such uncharacteristic warmth? Is Nadia a shrewd usurper, or an unwitting vessel for darker forces spreading across the land? A twisty thriller that locates the uncanny in the reflexive cordiality of the holiday season, You Are Not Me is a dark and disturbing dispatch from the most irrational realm: family.
Cowriters/codirectors Marisa Crespo and Moisés Romera have crafted a deliciously dark Christmas horror film refreshingly devoid of killer Santas and Krampuses. Instead of the usual holiday fright fare, they deliver a taught chiller seeping with mystery that hides its secrets well while dropping bread crumbs until its surprising third act.
Effective family drama helps build the air of suspense that You Are Not Me boasts. The tension between Aitana and her parents is palpable, with her wheelchair-bound brother Saúl (Jorge Motos) seemingly the only relative happy to see her. Tapias is excellent in the lead role as she goes through a bevy of emotions, portraying a young woman who seeks to reconnect with a family that she didn’t realize seemingly replaced her in her absence from the family home. The supporting players all give solid performances, as well.
Crespo and Moisés Romera pace You Are Not Me nicely, steadily building tension and dread throughout until the film reaches its nail-biting climax. The technical aspects are all of a high order, too. The film comes highly recommended for fright-fare aficionados of all stripes. Those looking for a high-quality Christmas chiller and viewers interested in foreign horror should find plenty to enjoy.
Doppelgänger Releasing presents You Are Not Me in theaters and On Digital from December 6, 2024.
