Talking to a Stranger

A grieving mother is confronted by an uncanny presence that wears the face of her lost child. García Bogliano probes the fear, guilt and the shadows we carry. Led by Gigi Saul Guerrero, Talking to a Stranger invites us to look toward the darkness rather than away from it.

What could be worse than what happened to Patricia, who lost her child in a fire? Adrián García Bogliano offers a chilling answer: a demon takes on the dead child’s appearance and begins to haunt her. The story may carry personal echoes. García Bogliano is the son of Argentine émigrés who fled the military junta in the 1970s for a safer life in Spain, and a sense of loss runs through his œuvre, however full-throttle the genre, gore or terror his films embrace.

With Talking to a Stranger, he takes a step toward a more subtle and refined tone, offering an entry point even for viewers who might not normally gravitate toward horror. The film invites them to look into the darkness and perhaps discover something about themselves in the process. After all, we all have our demons.

A special treat for horror aficionados is García Bogliano’s choice of lead: filmmaker and actress Gigi Saul Guerrero, known from her recent Bingo Hell (2021). Guerrero gives it her all, delivering a performance of striking presence and real nerve.

– Vanja Kaludjercic

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