Rock, Paper and Scissors (AKA Piedra, papel y tijera): Frightfest 2019 Film Review

When the father of Jesus (Pablo Sigal, Lions) and Maria José (Valeria Giorcelli, Crystal Eyes) dies, Magdalena (Agustina Cerviño), their estranged (probably half) sister comes to discuss division of the estate. Essentially, this means the grand old house they’ve been comfortably living in, and they are clearly less than comfortable with the prospect of that changing.

An “accident” takes place which gives Jesus and Maria José the upper hand in this situation. And from that point forward, the film turns from domestic drama to teasingly slow-paced thriller, as we watch to see the outcome play out. In the process, the siblings take it in turns gaslighting poor, injured Magdalena into thinking first one, then the other is on her side.

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The characters are fascinating. Maria José appears to be playfully childlike (and there are some animated scenes showing her as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz), and it’s virtually impossible to tell what Jesus is thinking or feeling most of the time. Magdalena is the only one who I considered reliable. And actually out of the three cast, Cerviño is apparently the least experienced, though most impressive. She has such a lot of confusion, pain and pragmatism to navigate, and – unlike the others – we can see on her face how it all feels.

I’ve seen Rock, Paper and Scissors compared to Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? And yes, there is a large degree of influence in the narrative style. For me, it called up Misery, though, as there was a very clear motivation to the pair’s torment of their sister. The visual style was unusual, with muted colours and somewhat old-fashioned interiors and costumes, making it a little difficult to place in a particular period. That fitted well though. The three characters were seemingly trapped together in a dreamlike and timeless house.

Rock, Paper and Scissors was written and directed by Martín Blousson, Macarena García Lenzi. As a partnership, they clearly worked well, and the film flowed so well that writing and direction may as well have been just one process. I would love to see what else they produce in future. I’d be especially intrigued to see how they might handle a more complex plot.