On the 3rd Day (2021) is the title of the new horror film by Daniel De La Vega, an Argentine director known for directing Jennifer's Shadows and Necrophobia.
With On the 3rd Day (aka Al Tercer DÃa), the director probes the vampire movie subgenre by merging it with the drama genre in which a bitter story shrouded in mystery is enhanced. The latter is amplified by the use of flashbacks that not only shed light on the truth but also delineate the film's true dark soul.
The plot features Cecilia (Mariana Anghileri), a separated woman who decides to take a small road trip together with MartÃn, her son who is only a few years old. An accident, however, turns her life upside down. Three days after the accident, Cecilia finds herself wandering alone, not remembering what happened during the car ride and, most importantly, not remembering what happened to MartÃn.
The woman will attract the suspicions of the police and also the attentions of a religious fanatic who will begin to hunt her down. Believing in her instead will be Dr. Hernán, who will help her bring clarity to her mind with a hypnosis session.
Daniel De La Vega twists the classic vampire story with originality, bringing broken family ties to the forefront and focusing on strong characterization of the characters. Among the acting performances, Mariana Anghileri's certainly stands out, who in this Argentine horror film becomes the target of evil as well as the symbol of maternal grief, a haunted character from time immemorial who reaches very high peaks of despair.
Into this furnace of shattered feelings and painful emotions slowly creeps a glacial horror component that becomes more and more pronounced as the succession of flashbacks alternates with violent sequences, and which concentrates in an unexpected finale. Among the cruelest sequences is the death of a vampire: hit on the head with a hammer, dissolved in acid and finally decapitated (remarkable practical effects) at the hands of a vampire-hunting priest, the man responsible for the protagonist's unfortunate fate.
Among the most evocative and exciting moments, on the other hand, stands out the vampirization to which the victim is subjected by the demonic being (Mathias Domizi), a long-limbed and ghostly figure charged with charm and darkness.
Characterized by a slow but profound unfolding of the story, useful in underscoring an edgy crescendo of almost tangible anxiety and horror, On the 3rd Day is an atypical and relevant vampire film that stands out not only for its elegant and expert direction and photography (Mariano Suarez) but also for its depiction of the particular evolution and coming of age of an "undead."
In the cast of On the 3rd Day (Argentina - 2021) include Mariana Anghileri, Arturo BonÃn, Diego Cremonesi, Mathias Domizi, Verónica Intile, Rodolfo Ranni, Lautaro Delgado Tymruk, and Gerardo Romano.
The screenplay is by Alberto Fasce in collaboration with Gonzalo Ventura.
On the 3rd Day is based on the novel 3 DÃas By co-writer Gonzalo Ventura.
