Looks like a lot of likes from followers are in store for Sombras Chinas (Chinese Shadows), the attention-drawing, dramatic thriller from Argentina written and directed by Sebastian Baz. Following a similar reality-based format as found footage horror, Sombras Chinas may be the first feature film shot in a vertical frame for smartphones. It follows the live stream of Candela “Cande” Montenegro (Candela Del Zotto), who makes her living off being a social media influencer. This means she gets lots of free stuff for promoting businesses while her boyfriend, Ramino (Quimey Herrera), covers the rent.
Cande is shopping for a sexy new outfit to surprise Ramino with tonight, as it is almost their two-year anniversary. She is being driven around town by El Polaco (Charly Bennicasa), a greasy middle-aged cabbie that she met through her fellow social media star friend, Kiki (Camila Karwala). Pola says lecherous things and keeps talking about all the sleazy things he got up to when he was younger, but Cande puts up with it for free rides.
Cande gets pissed when she finds out at the dress store that Ramino had canceled her credit card, but she is able to still get the dress by recommending the shop to all her followers. Cande sets up a live cast of herself waiting for Ramino’s reaction to her new dress, but he is wiped out once he gets in and goes straight for a beer, not even seeing the outfit.
“A mystery opens up for Cande to delve further into, though if she goes too far, it may snap down on her like a giant clam.”
There is a huge fight, and the next thing we know, Cande is informing her viewers that she and her guy are broken up. She reaches out to her influencer pal, Sol (Sol Echeverria), as well as seeks comfort from Pola as he ferries her around. During her misery, she starts having an old dude with a strange profile, Horacio (Pablo Alarcon), follow her videos.
A mystery opens up for Cande to delve further into, though if she goes too far, it may snap down on her like a giant clam. Part of my job as a serious film critic (a.k.a. a goof who gets paid to watch stuff) is to convince reluctant viewers to try formats that they usually would deflect.
This includes found footage features where the footage is social media interactions online. I know some cannot imagine sitting in front of direct messaging and Instagram videos for an hour and a half, but that is because they haven’t seen the amazing stories that can be told. I am still a big fan of the OG of the social media genre, Unfriended, as well as the more recent innovations of the format like those in Fresh Hell.
"…knows exactly when to break the rules in the right way. "
