The Wailing (2024) by Pedro Martín-Calero: A Feminist Haunting Across Time
- dailyentertainment95
- Aug 21
- 3 min read
Short Summary: Echoes of a Curse Across Generations
Andrea, a modern university student, senses a sinister, unseen figure that appears only through her digital screen. As she delves deeper, she uncovers a tragic pattern repeating decades earlier in Argentina, where Marie first felt the same haunting. A documentary student, Camila, becomes entwined in their fates as she investigates. All three experience the same piercing wail—bound by fear, grief, and disbelief.
Link IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26750774/
Link to watch: https://www.justwatch.com/fr/film/el-llanto (France)
Detailed Summary: Haunting Across Time and Space
The Present in Madrid
Andrea notices a strange entity behind her during video chats—visible only via her screen. Her awareness initiates dread as she becomes certain she is being watched.
Voiceless Terror
Her reports are dismissed as paranoia. Forced to confront a supernatural horror alone, she discovers her fear is connected to places and people far beyond her world.
Flashback to Argentina
Two decades earlier, Marie experienced similar phenomena, isolated and unsupported. Only Camila, intrigued by the mystery, records it—but her obsession draws her into the same curse.
Architecture of Evil
A mirrored apartment building—physically appearing in both Madrid and Argentina—emerges as the nexus of the haunting, the same building housing the echoing wail.
Feminist Echoes
The wailing becomes a symbol of suppressed trauma—each woman silenced, seeking recognition and connection in a world that won’t listen.
Director’s Vision: Horror as Feminist Allegory
Genre as Revelation
Martín-Calero utilizes horror to explore real-world issues: violence against women, cyclical trauma, and systemic disbelief.
Granular Narrative Structure
The story unfolds in three chapters across time and space, compelling viewers to piece together its enigma.
Atmospheric Framing
A strobe-lit nightclub, eerie high-rise apartments, and unnerving soundscapes intertwine to evoke disorientation, dread, and spectral beauty.
Themes: Silence, Skepticism, and Inherited Trauma
Dismissed Voices
Each protagonist is underestimated or doubted, illustrating how women’s fears and trauma are often rendered invisible.
Transmission of Violence
The film suggests that trauma—and its cultural echoes—can be passed down through generations and geography.
The Unseen Made Audible
The wail becomes both soundtrack and symbol: of grief, endurance, and ancestral pain that demands recognition.
Key Success Factors: Why It Resonates
Bold Directorial Debut
Martín-Calero received the Silver Shell for Best Director at San Sebastián Festival—acknowledging his atmospheric precision and thematic ambition.
Compelling Ensemble Cast
The performances of Ester Expósito, Mathilde Ollivier, and Malena Villa are emotionally grounded and nuanced, carrying the narrative’s weight.
Stylish, Symbolic Horror
The film harnesses sparse jump scares but leans into psychological dread—inviting viewers into a world of metaphor.
Awards & Festival Circuit
Silver Shell for Best Director at San Sebastián 2024
Goya Nomination—Best New Director
Official selections at Sitges, BFI London, Tokyo, Valladolid, and Chicago Latino Film Festival
Released theatrically in Spain (Oct 2024), Argentina (Nov 2024), and France (May 2025)
U.S. distribution licensed by Film Movement
Critics Reception: Elegant Anxiety, Occasional Unclarity
Screen Daily: Highlights its feminist resonance and compelling young cast
Cineuropa: Praises its metaphorical depth, subtlety, and use of genre to address violence
The Film Verdict: Celebrates its visual craftsmanship, layered structure, and lingering dread
Pajiba Review: Calls it a masterclass in atmosphere and narrative destabilization, while warning of its cryptic edge
Horror Movie Blog: Applauds the opening’s immersive tension and narrative ambition—though notes a lack of resolution in the finale
Overall Summary: Critics celebrate its thematic boldness, visual control, and haunting atmosphere, even as its cryptic structure and ambiguity leave some viewers craving clarity.
Reviews: Audience Reflections
Creepy and unsettling, with haunting visuals—some describe the revelation as ambiguous, but emotionally resonant
Emotionally sophisticated horror, with a feminist core—viewed as a thoughtful step beyond standard genre tropes
Dark, fragmented, and unforgettable—lacks closure, but thrives on lingering resonance
Why to Recommend Film: Horror That Hears
Elevated Horror with a Cause
It transcends genre by blending dread with feminist commentary—rare and urgent.
Narrative Courage
It trusts viewers to inhabit its ambiguity, offering horror as allegory, not just effect.
Artistic Horror Craft
Its visual style, editing, sound design, and structure combine into a distinctive cinematic pulse.
Movie Trend: Feminist Horror Resurgence
The Wailing aligns with a wave of horror that foregrounds gender, trauma, and silenced stories—joining directors like Julia Ducournau and Rose Glass in pushing genre forward.
Social Trend: Haunting Past, Present Reckonings
Amid global reckoning with gender violence and silenced survivors, the film’s themes resonate deeply—using horror to reckon with real wounds whispered across generations.
Final Verdict: The Horror That Echoes in Silence
The Wailing is an unsettling, poetic descent into inherited terror—where the real horror isn’t what you see, but what society refuses to hear. With its feminist spine, dreamlike structure, and spectral dread, it’s a debut that will echo long after its final wail fades.
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