The List – Review
Following its world premiere at Marbella International Film Festival, this brand-new Paraguayan-Argentine revenge-filled feature is set for its UK digital release on the 26th February 2024, courtesy of Miracle Media.
Juan Torres (Fernando Abadie – Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation) and his wealthy but fractured family have been living in Miami. Finally, after 24 years of their homeland, Gran Chaco being under dictatorship, the brutal General Russo is finally deposed and on the run, so Juan and family return to their homeland in a bid to start their lives over again.
They are staying in a high end hotel complex, with other wealthy clientele, watching the news unfold on the television, as are most of the public.
New leader of the country Reyes makes an announcement that he is to give the people a vote on who should be brought to justice for all of the heinous acts that have been carried out over the past decades. These people will be added to The List, and be known as Listers.
A teacher convinces a group of his students to vote for Juan Torres to appear on the list.
After the vote Reyes announces that the people will have 12hrs from 7pm to 7am to bring the listers to justice. They tortured your family, you can torture them, killed your mum, kill them etc.
The news begins to report who is on the list, and to his horror (and initial confusing “he looks like me” moment) Torres realises he has been added to the list. He has no idea why he would be on the list, and his family don’t understand either. Is he is hiding some dark secret from his past?
The hotel owners kick all of the guests who have just become listers onto street, so a group of them band together to find safety and avoid the hoards of people out looking for blood.
Can Juan and his family convince the people of their innocence and survive the night?
The plot of this film is somewhat similar to The Purge in that the people are given the freedom to commit guilt free murder for a set amount of time.
The acting is fairly strong throughout and although it’s low budget is evident, it does the best it can with the available headcount.
The cinematography is great, with well shot scenes and moody lighting. The score works well, tension is built where necessary and the film clips along at a decent pace.
The story kind of shows how quickly a crowd would become exactly what they think they’re getting justice for, Lord of The Flies style.
There is some world building involved here, and the thought of a sequel obviously factored into proceedings.
Overall, The List is an enjoyable, taught thriller built on a low budget. With a story that doesn’t take too much time getting to the point, and violence or kills that aren’t particularly shocking or gruesome, it’s not out for the gore hound shocks but concentrates on the drama, and is probably better for it.
In the ultimate battle for survival, this multi-award winning, world cinema political thriller from writer-director Michael J Hardy, in his feature debut challenges the very essence of justice and survival and deserves to be on The List of all film aficionados.
Check it out on UK digital 26 February from Miracle Media, watch the trailer below.
