Marta Review – Quirky Short Film Follows Aspiring Killer
Follow us on Twitter | Instagram
Marta is a young woman who loves horror movies and dreams of becoming a serial killer. She targets a skinny stranger named Carlos by pretending to need help with her car. But will she be able to commit her first murder?
Written and directed by Lucía Forner Segarra, the Spanish short film “Marta” stars Thais Blume as the titular protagonist, an aspiring serial killer, while Daniel Pérez Prada plays the unsuspecting Carlos, possibly Marta’s first victim if she is serious about her criminal ambitions.
The film opens with Marta nervously smoking a cigarette while leaning against a car, hinting at her sinister intentions. Thais Blume is comically likable as the unhinged young woman who takes her love for horror movies too far. In the first half of the film, Carlos doesn’t take her seriously, wondering if it’s all an elaborate prank when he is kidnapped and Marta declares her intent to murder him. However, the mood shifts dramatically in the second half, creating significant tension over whether a gruesome murder will actually occur.
Daniel Pérez Prada is riveting as Carlos, a random man who finds himself at the mercy of a woman he’s never met. He tries to talk his way out of the bizarrely dangerous situation, and the banter between the two characters is both low-key hilarious and suspenseful. “I am a woman, so I cannot kill you?” Marta subtly rages when Carlos begs for his release. She is a strange blend of friendly, unstable, and threatening, making her completely unpredictable.
The cinematography uses warm tones, with most of the action unfolding in a well-lit basement that looks like it could belong on the set of “Saw.” The film relies on the performances of its lead actors to drive the story, and both Thais Blume and Daniel Pérez Prada deliver their roles with the right amount of punch. Viewers will be divided over whom to root for: should Marta get her first kill, or should Carlos make his great escape?
For a 14-minute short film, “Marta” is a clever, entertaining take on what happens when a young woman decides to become a serial killer.
You can watch it on YouTube. It’s also embedded below.
