Presencias (2022)

Luis Mandoki’s foray into the psychological horror genre, *Presencias*, attempts to leverage a chilling, isolationist atmosphere set deep within a dense forest. The cinematography effectively establishes a mood of claustrophobic dread, supported by a committed performance from Alberto Ammann as the tormented lead. However, the film struggles significantly with narrative coherence and structural integrity, sacrificing genuine tension for a relentless barrage of predictable jump scares. While the initial setup hints at a complex mystery involving fractured memory and trauma, the screenplay quickly devolves into a generic haunted house exercise that feels overly familiar. Yalitza Aparicio is frustratingly underutilized in a role that feels ancillary to the central hauntings. Ultimately, *Presencias* is a visually competent but narratively muddled thriller, failing to synthesize its strong atmospheric elements with a compelling or original story structure worthy of its talented cast.