Movies: The Rim (2024) by Alberto Gracia - A Surreal Return to a Haunted Hometown

When the familiar becomes uncanny The Rim sees protagonist Damián, untethered and living on the fringes, make a reluctant return to his native Ferrol following his father’s death. Once vibrant, the port city is now worn and desolate, mirroring Damián’s own faded spirit. Plagued by mistaken identity and whispers of another man’s fate tied to his name, he becomes enmeshed in a parallel narrative—one that feels inescapable, even as reality warps. With its haunting aesthetic and absurd undercurrents, the film captures a world that is both eerily recognizable and deeply unsettling. This disorienting journey—a patchwork of paranoia, identity crisis, and societal decay—marks a bold, hallucinatory statement from Gracia.

Why to Recommend Movie — Existential Mystery with Unsettling Poise

• Masterfully eerie tone: What begins as a simple homecoming evolves into a surreal psychological maze.The film’s dreamy cadence and deliberate pacing draw the viewer into Damián’s subconscious, where memories and identity blur. Its emotional grip is subtle yet profoundly unnerving.

• Identity dissolved into myth: Damián is misidentified as someone named Cosme, a tour guide who may or may not exist—a haunting reflection on how communities impose narratives onto individuals.This creeping impersonation raises questions about selfhood and how fragile personal history can be when layered over collective memory.

• Ferrol as character: Gracia turns his hometown into a ghostly character—ruined, almost theatrical in gloom, steeped in history and unanswered grief.The city’s decay matches Damián’s internal disintegration, crafting a symbiotic tension between place and person that lingers long after the film ends.

Where to watch: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/la-parra (US)

Link IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30487234/

Link Review: https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/455836/

About movie: https://cineuropa.org/en/film/455285/

Why to Recommend Movie — An Uncanny Mystery About Identity and Place

• Atmosphere steeped in dread: The quiet unease of Ferrol becomes a mirror of Damián’s fractured identity.The film doesn’t rely on jump scares but builds a mood that is quietly suffocating, letting paranoia seep in until every glance feels suspicious.

• Existential story with surreal humor: By blending dark absurdity with melancholy, the film creates a space where identity slips and nothing feels secure.This duality makes it both intellectually stimulating and emotionally unsettling.

• A strong festival pedigree: Its premiere in Rotterdam positions it as one of the year’s standout auteur films.This recognition suggests the film is not only bold but also significant in today’s arthouse landscape.

What is the Trend Followed? — Surreal Realism and Peripheral Stories

• Absurdist psychological drama: Instead of conventional narrative clarity, the film thrives in ambiguity.Viewers are invited to interpret meanings, aligning with a growing trend of mood-driven, surreal European cinema.

• Marginal spaces as allegory: The decline of Ferrol symbolizes cultural and personal decay.This echoes the global cinematic movement that finds universal meaning in forgotten or peripheral places.

• Dreamlike, dissonant storytelling: Films today increasingly use dream-logic to explore memory, paranoia, and identity.Gracia embraces this style, pulling audiences into an experience that resists tidy explanation.

Director’s Vision — Crafting Dread Through the Familiar

• Reality blurred into absurdity: Gracia’s surrealist style erodes the line between ordinary and uncanny.His aim is not to answer but to disturb, allowing the narrative to feel like a waking dream.

• Mood sculpted by craft: Lighting, sound design, and deliberate pacing are central, creating an atmosphere heavy with ambiguity.These choices leave the viewer in constant uncertainty—immersed in tension without resolution.

• Performances grounded in minimalism: Alfonso Míguez’s portrayal of Damián is subdued, letting silence and subtle gestures carry meaning.His restraint anchors the surreal world with emotional credibility.

Themes — Identity, Place, and Paranoia

• Mistaken identity: Damián is confused with Cosme, raising questions of who we are when others impose identities upon us.

• Decay as reflection of self: Ferrol’s industrial ruin parallels Damián’s own unraveling.

• Isolation and displacement: Returning home brings not comfort, but estrangement and invisibility.

• Absurdity of existence: The surreal humor suggests that life itself is an unstable, often nonsensical construction.

Key Success Factors — Mood and Mystery Over Explanation

• Unique tone: The mix of dread, absurdity, and surrealist logic ensures the film feels distinctive.

• Atmospheric power: Every technical element—sound, music, cinematography—serves the unsettling mood.

• Festival recognition: Its place in Rotterdam’s Tiger Competition positions it as a critical darling.

• Universal resonance: Though rooted in Galicia, its exploration of decay and identity resonates with global audiences.

Awards & Nominations — Early Recognition

The Rim premiered in the Tiger Competition at IFFR 2025, earning attention as one of the boldest entries in the lineup. While awards season is still unfolding, its presence in competition suggests strong international critical support and potential recognition on the European festival circuit.

Critics Reception — Disquieting and Thought-Provoking

• Critics praised the film’s ability to mix black humor with surreal dread, creating an experience both unsettling and oddly funny.

• Some compared its tone to the works of David Lynch, noting how everyday spaces are distorted into places of paranoia and uncertainty.

• A few critics found the ambiguity challenging but acknowledged the film’s artistry and atmosphere.

Summary: Overall, critics see The Rim as a bold, dissonant film that prioritizes mood and metaphor over narrative clarity, making it unforgettable for fans of surreal cinema.

Reviews — Haunting in Its Ambiguity

• Supportive reviews highlight its ability to turn a decaying town into a character that traps both protagonist and viewer.They emphasize that the film lingers long after viewing, haunting audiences with questions rather than answers.

• Mixed reviews note that its slow pace and ambiguity may frustrate some viewers.Still, even critical voices admit that its mood and imagery leave a strong impression.

Summary: Reviews underline that The Rim will not appeal to everyone, but for those who embrace surrealism and ambiguity, it offers a rich, unsettling journey.

Movie Trend — Surrealist Arthouse Mystery

The film belongs to a growing arthouse trend where identity and paranoia are explored through surreal narratives. This style emphasizes ambiguity, unsettling imagery, and the uncanny in everyday spaces.

Social Trend — Anxiety of Displacement in a Collapsing World

The story reflects a larger social unease about losing identity in a rapidly changing, decaying world. As economic and cultural decline erases familiar landscapes, the sense of belonging becomes increasingly fragile—mirrored in Damián’s unraveling.

Final Verdict — A Surreal Elegy for the Forgotten

The Rim is a haunting, surreal drama that transforms a return home into a psychological labyrinth. Alberto Gracia’s vision is bold, experimental, and deeply atmospheric, crafting a film that unsettles more than it resolves. It is not a story for those seeking clarity, but for audiences willing to embrace ambiguity, it offers a resonant and unforgettable meditation on identity, place, and decay.