DOPPELGÄNGER

DOPPELGÄNGER is a highly refined thriller short film. The story revolves around the protagonist, Mikel. In the middle of the night, Mikel, a man stripped of all his identity after having murdered his parents at the age of twelve, sits on a comfortable sofa in a spacious living room. Even though he dresses well, in some details we can see that he is a bit messy, nervous, and waiting for someone. The place is beautiful and minimalist, and the lighting has a pleasant, warm temperature. Mikel suddenly finds himself engaged in a conversation with a man of cold, elegant appearance. Mikel’s life hangs in the balance. He wants revenge, but also needs answers about who he is. Although the person in front of him may have answers about the murders he committed, Mikel may discover disturbing similarities between himself and the man regarding their life memories. They are both dark beings, sick people with mental illness and sexual problems. The night slowly progresses between these two men, leaving a big question: who committed the murders? The director shows us the inner journey of the main character through a precise choice of frames. A definite value of this film is the exceptionally elegant and refined photography shot by Romina Leiva. Throughout the film, every frame is very symmetrical and emphasizes the relationship between the two main characters. The acting and direction of the two actors are another great point of this film: you can appreciate the actors only by listening to their breathing, because their actions are so intense that you can read what they are thinking. Juan Octavio Lume, the director himself, and Italo Spotorno play their roles with precision and efficiency. Additionally, the sound design plays an important role in the development of the characters in this film. Claudio Carrasco and Louis Rosales created it. The editing becomes a knife slicing through the emotions in the film. It has a syncopated rhythm, which reflects the rhythm of the main character’s memory. In the memory sequences, the use of overlapping images is particularly interesting. While this short movie was produced with a limited budget, this part of the style is close to the genre of video art and makes it particularly rich and refined. Congratulations to the director of this precious piece of cinematic work. Director and producer Juan Octavio Lume has over 12 years of experience. He is a founding partner and producer for Go.Films, dedicated to both fiction and theatre. The highlights of his career as a director include, among others: DOPPELGÄNGER; The One Who Walks Beside Me (2022 / short film - fiction); INVISIBLE (2021 / short film - fiction); SUMERGIDO (Submerged, 2020 / short film - fiction); CAÍDA LIBRE (Free Fall, 2018 / short film - fiction); and his work as theatre director of the play PROMETEO. He is currently working on the pre-production of his first feature film, ASEDIO, where he works as both producer and director of the project. DOPPELGÄNGER won February’s monthly Berlin Indie Film Festival edition as Best Thriller.