The Abandoned (2006)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Nacho Cerdà

Writers:

Karim Hussain (screenplay) &
Nacho Cerdà (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

23 February 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Death never runs out of time.

Plot:

An adopted woman returns to her home country to the family home that she never knew and must face to mystery that lies there.

Plot Keywords:

Ghost | Farm | Russia | Guide | Film Producer

Cast

Anastasia Hille	...	Marie Jones
Karel Roden	...	Nicolai
Valentin Ganev	...	Andrei Misharin / Kolya Kaidavosky
Paraskeva Djukelova	...	Marie's Mother
Carlos Reig-Plaza	...	Anatoliy
Kalin Arsov	...	Bearded Russian Patriarch Man '1966'
Svetlana Smoleva	...	Bearded Patriarch's wife '1966'
Anna Panayotova	...	Bearded Patriarch's daughter '1966'
Jordanka Angelova	...	Blind Woman 'present day'
Valentin Goshev	...	Patriarch - present day
Jasmina Marinova	...	Patriarch's Wife
Monica Baunova	...	Emily
Marta Yaneva	...	Natalya

Also Known As:

Bloodline (Spain) (working title)
Los abandonados (Spain)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence/gore, some disturbing images, nudity and language.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

Spain | UK | Bulgaria

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Portugal:M/18 | Australia:MA | France:-12 | Peru:18 | Argentina:16 | UK:15 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-18 | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Sofia, Bulgaria

Company:

Castelao Producciones

Trivia:

Filmax wanted a name actress for the role of Marie and there were some executive negotiations with actresses like Nastassja Kinski and Holly Hunter. Director Nacho Cerdà insisted on an unknown because he wanted to bring more humanity to the character. Cerdà picked up Anastasia Hille after a casting session in London and Filmax finally went with the director's choice.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Marie and Nicolai enter a room for discussion, she places a box in front of the door after closing it. After the discussion, Nicolai goes to the door and opens it, but the box is not there.

Movie Connections:

Features Arachnid (2001)

Soundtrack:

R\bTwilight Over Black Waters

Jump Factor, you bet.

This film is a solid 6, no it isn't going to win any awards or anything like that but what horror suspense film with 2 no name actors does anyway.. ever. What The Abandoned will do for you is keep you wondering what is down the hall or around the next corner. It is a suspense film, sprinkled in with some horror elements. I can't tell you how many times the audience jumped out of the room. It was great, the people were embarrassed for themselves because they got so scared. That to me is what going to these movies is all about, it is about the experience and the film and how it draws you in at 10:00 at night. I did think the movie had a lot of credits at the beginning, the writing caught me off guard, but I like how when the family was speaking Russian we didn't get subtitles, that was cool, we don't need to know every word these folks are saying, just know that something bad is about to go down and it did. Check out The Abandoned for a good time with friends, the movie is pretty solid in a day when a lot of these movies leave you wondering what you just wasted your darn money and time on, this one will keep you jumping and guessing the whole way through.