“RAGE”–a love that should not have been

“RAGE” ( “Rabia”)

Love that Should Not Have Been

Amos Lassen

“Rage” is a thriller that is about a construction worker who has killed his foreman and is now in hiding on an estate where his girlfriend works as a maid. Both characters are immigrants in Spain eking out a living. Jose Maria (Gustavo Sanchez) accidentally killed his boss while he was in a fit of rage and the only place he has to go to is the mansion where his girlfriend, Rosa (Martina Garcia) works. What we see is Rosa’s life through Jose’s eyes as he stays low.

Rosa is worried as she does not know how to handle her life and she finds out she is pregnant from Jose. Her employer’s son rapes her and she is ashamed. She is not aware that Jose watches her every move.

I felt a sense of dread during the movie and it is the cinematography and lighting that is responsible for that. There are times that the film is very quiet and this is quite unnerving. Sebastian Cordero, the director, takes us by the hand as we watch the film. The characters are wonderfully portrayed and that is because Cordero gives them depth.

We are also aware that the love affair between Jose and Rosa will come to no good because of the circumstances.

Jose represents masculine obsession as he watches Rosa’s every move and we also are aware of class differences here. Rosa and Jose, new immigrants, are of the lower class while the place where Rosa works represents the upper classes. The immigrant status of almost non beings is emphasized here and if I have a problem it is with the ending and it was definitely anti-climatic.