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Film Review: Fragiles
By John Marrone
Mar 9, 2006, 13:11

Directed by:  Jaume Balagueró
Running Time:  93 minutes
Body Count:  5

Independent video outlets in the NYC area are great to visit, because the DVD's and VHS tapes that are there come literally from all over the world.  Things I would never know exsisted until I pick them out of the row of 1000 and then Google when I get home.  I was browsing some titles from Spain, and came across a Calista Flockhart movie called Fragiles.  I never watched Ally McBeal, but always thought she was attractive.  Only because I was slightly amazed that she was even doing films - only because it was a horror flick (and nothing else sparked my attention) did I pick it up, and I'm extremely glad that I did.  It was CREEPY - one of the creepiest films Ive seen in a LONG time - and I discovered later that it will be released in theaters across the US this summer.  July 21st to be exact.  If you enjoy tension and chills similar to those from films like The Sixth Sense or The Exorcist - this is a must see.

The official synopsis goes as follows.  The Mercy Falls Children’s Hospital is about to close its doors for good after one century of service.  But the closing process is taking longer than expected; a railroad accident has left the local hospitals without beds.  It will take a few more days to transfer all the children.  It will not be an easy task.  Most of the personnel has left and practically all the installations have already been dismantled.  Amy, a young nurse, is sent from London to help out.  But she soon detects something odd in this place...  The children are nervous.  And afraid.  Of something intangible, invisible. Something that shouldn’t even exist.  Something full of pain.  And hatred.  Some of them call it "the mechanical girl".  And they claim it lives upstairs, on the third floor.

The floor that has been closed and blocked away from the rest of the building for 40 years.  And little by little, this presence begins to make itself increasingly evident.  More aggressive.  Moving through the hospital’s corridors.  Crouching in the shadows.  Because this hospital holds a secret.  Something terrifying that has returned from the past.  Something that shouldn’t be here.  And to discover it and protect the kids, Amy must face everything: the rest of the hospital staff who refuse to accept the obvious, her own fears, and the truth.  But the truth is very far from what anyone suspects.  Darker.  More sinister.  And more dangerous...

Theyre not kidding.  To think that there was a ghost living up there on that abandoned third floor was stereotypical horror movie plot building - but when you actually come across the haunting, its done so well - the coldness and the power of its fury - it seriously gets under your skin.  Its disturbing, the haunting sequences.  Subtle as hell, but too real.  You'll find yourself holding your breath a bit at certain points.  The scenes - the upstairs of the hospital - were done perfect.    When you see the ghost in detail, and its lumbering toward someone - from the way it moves to the way it looks (almost like the bathtub ghost woman in The Shining) - that's the best thing I can compare it to.  Its done with respect to what makes these things frightening.  You have to see this film to appreciate it.

Its no academy award winner, but it came close to the level of The Sixth Sense.  The film was absolutely gripping - and it wasnt because of gore or shock - it was the story and directoral flare of Jaume Balagueró.  Yet its not perfect.  By the end the story is stretched a little too far to be believable, and cheapens itself to a frightfest - but 80% of the film is engrossing.  Whats odd about it is that is was produced in Spain, but has mostly British actors and actresses - except Calista, who is of course, American.  The original version of this film, from Spain, is called Fragiles.  It will be released in the US this summer as The Fragile.

For anyone unaware, Calista is an exceptional, talented actress.  I had no idea.  I thought she was bland in the beginning, but later found this to be part of her character's demeanor.  In the scene where she snaps, over a moment of reflection on something terrible in her past, she stunned me - as would the situation if it happened in front of me for real.

As far as gore, there's little or none.  Just a scene when the iv tube gets stuck in a little boys arm and the nurse attempts to tweeze out the open needle, which is squirting blood all over as she works on it.  Other than that, its the broken bones of the children that make you wince a bit.  Compound fractures trying to push out the skin.  Someone gets their thigh deeply stabbed by a metal protrusion, and pulls about ten inches of it out of the thigh - that spilled a lot of blood.  The ghost was just downright evil as hell.  To give too much away will ruin the twist, so Ill just leave it at that.

Final analysis:  If you get the opportunity to see Fragile, in theaters or on DVD, I would check it out.  I can't think of another film in recent times that had such a firm grip on the creep factor.  If youre a fan of ghost stories - or even horror films that are more based on psychological terror than shredded flesh and brutal violence - this is the film you've been waiting a while for.  Add another star if you're a mom or have a soft spot for children.  This one's going into my personal collection.

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