A Monster with a Thousand Heads

Quiet and contemplative instead of being noisy and all about action, A Monster With a Thousand Heads, based on a novel by Laura Santullo, slowly pulls viewers in to [Sonia's] plight.

While some of the plot points in this Mexican drama strain logic, there's an undeniable emotional truth to every step the woman takes; the icy, formal cinematography assists by accentuating her helplessness against a faceless bureaucracy.

Plá, working from a spare yet jangly screenplay by Laura Santullo, steadily builds suspense, craftily calibrating subtle shifts in perspective that allow us to alternate, seamlessly, between impartial observers and, as it were, active participants.

A Monster With a Thousand Heads is a political outcry masquerading as a taut, well-crafted thriller.

A sobering, all-too-relatable indictment of the bureaucratic Hydra that is the medical insurance industry.

A film with great narrative and artistic solvency to suggest an oppressive atmosphere and maintain a fast pace of suspense in what is now openly a thriller with a social critic. [Full review in Spanish]

From Villalba's apathetic attitude toward his patient to detestable insurance company policies... the film's gradual revelations make Sonia's actions justifiable -- almost.

A thriller that offers an efficient plot in which a woman act as a heroine against the system. [Full review in Spanish]

A film that has the exact mix of suspense and drama to keep your attention, and great performances. [Full review in Spanish]

A powerful and frantic portrait that Mexican cinema makes of a reality that could happen in many other countries of the world. [Full review in Spanish]

A very well told story with subtle hints of dark humor that you can't miss. [Full review in Spanish]