A mysterious drug opens up the mind of a young woman in Pablo Pagán’s neo-noir thriller, Voyager. Cleaning up after an affluent party, a young janitor, Camila (Ana Barja), finds a mysterious drug and steals it for her sick grandmother. Instead, Camila takes it herself and is sent on a mind-altering, out-of-body experience.
When Camila takes the drug over the next few nights, she loses all inhibition. This loner breaks loose and no longer allows herself to be subject to her fears. When Camila begins to pursue her crush, the drug pushes her beyond her limitations.
“When Camila takes the drug over the next few nights, she loses all inhibition.”
There’s a bit more going on with Voyager than I’m describing. Filmmaker Pablo Pagán takes his love of noir stories and turns this tale into a crime mystery. He takes audiences into the mind of Gen Z. Pagán, explores the isolation and loneliness this generation is feeling, and considers what happens when his protagonist, Camila, lets loose. Being a noir, Camila walks down a very dark path with supernatural and psychological ramifications.
Tonally, Pagán captures the look, feel, lighting, and colors of noir. Voyager poses a lot of questions while answering only a few. Marti Cirera’s cinematography adds to the mystery, using proactive angles and camera movement only to enhance this mystery. Final shout out to the make-up and special effects for a series of horrific shots that will stay in my brain for quite some time.
For more information about Voyager, visit Pablo Pagán’s official website.
"…captures the look, feel, lighting, and colors of noir."
