Taglines: El juego más inocente puede convertirse en el más peligroso.
Locked in a dark basement, Laura, a psychiatrist in her early thirties, contemplates in horror a video where a man confesses to be a serial killer. His name is Ramon, an apparently normal man in his forties, who seems to be quite harmless. Gagged and bound to a chair, Laura realises that it’s the same person who kidnapped her and who is now pacing in the shadows.
Ramon continues to speak as he turns off the television. He walks over to her, takes off the gag and challenges Laura to play the “Word Game”. If she wins, she gets to go free, but if she loses, he’ll poke out her eye. Laura is terrified, but reluctantly accepts. The game begins. Laura makes a mistake. Ramon menacingly moves towards her. Laura’s screams are useless.
Killing Words (Palabras encadenadas) is a Spanish psychological thriller co-written and directed by Laura Mañá. Starring are Darío Grandinetti, Goya Toledo, Fernando Guillén, Eric Bonicatto, Blanca Apilánez, Alex Brull, Robert Forcadell, Alexis Hill and Mariona Perrier.
About the Story
Ramón, a respected philosophy professor, has kidnapped Laura, a psychiatrist, and claims to be a serial killer. While taping their conversation in his basement, he forces Laura to play word games and psychoanalyze him for her freedom. Intercut with this plotline, Ramon is interrogated by the police for Laura’s disappearance. As both conversations progress, it is revealed that Laura is Ramón’s ex-wife, who accused him of spousal abuse during their divorce hearings.
Ramón toys with Laura, sometimes changing his stories to appear harmless, then reaffirming his murderous intentions. At one point, he claims that he has lied about his murders in order to force her to admit that her accusations of abuse were false. He continues to express romantic interest in her, and Laura offers to have sex with him for her freedom, but Ramón cannot perform. Ultimately Laura admits to lying during their divorce hearings, but only to save him the humiliation of the truth: that she has discovered his affairs with male students.
During the interview, Ramón admits that he kidnapped Laura in order to scare a confession from her, but his story does not always match up with the events portrayed. He claims that he and his wife are engaging in a cat-and-mouse game, which she has won. When police secretly inspect his home, they discover a doctored telephone message that Ramón has made from the recordings in his basement. The message makes it appear that Laura has faked her death in order to frame Ramón for her murder. The police believe the recording and release Ramón.
Killing Words – Palabras Encadenadas (2003)
Directed by: Laura Mañá
Starring: Darío Grandinetti, Goya Toledo, Fernando Guillén, Eric Bonicatto, Blanca Apilánez, Alex Brull, Robert Forcadell, Alexis Hill, Mariona Perrier
Screenplay by: Laura Mañá, Jordi Galcerán, Fernando de Felipe
Cinematography by: Xavi Giménez
Film Editing by: Luis de la Madrid
Costume Design by: Angela Casillas, María Gil
Art Direction by: Lu Mascaró
Music by: Francesc Gener
Distributed by: Istituto Luce
Release Date: April 30, 2003
Visits: 245
