About 30 minutes into Laura Citarella’s first feature Ostende (2011), a waiter named Paco (Julián Tello) asks one of his customers, Laura (Laura Peredes), if he can tell her an idea he has for a movie. As Paco explains, the film will begin at night, with a man in a yellow truck approaching a desert crossroads. To the left, a fire; to the right, darkness; and, in the distance, screams. Concerned, the man drives toward the blaze, where he comes upon a group of priests and a mysterious Dutchman conducting a grisly ritual involving torture and a burning car. When he attempts to leave, the man is knocked unconscious. The screen then cuts to black and the title card appears. “And then…?” asks Laura. “And then what?” Paco replies. “The…
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Cinema Scope (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 93 - Winter 2023