Fantasia 2024 Review: PARVULOS, Coming of Age in The Darkest of Ages

Three brothers, Salvador, Oliver and Benjamin, have been forced to fend for themselves, holed up in a stone house in the middle of the forest. Their family fled there after a catastrophic event wiped out large swaths of the population. When we join the brothers they’ve been left to look after each other, all the while waiting for their parents to return. Oh, there is also something locked up in the basement that they’re looking after as well. 

 

Parvulos is a coming of age story in the darkest of ages. As the older brother Savador has taken on the responsibility of caring for their two younger brothers after their parents left. Sometimes that requires tough love and hard decisions. Savador has had to grow up faster than his brother, though he still has life experiences ahead of him. For the moment this is all the family that they have. The roles and dynamics of their family have to shift and change with the absence of their parents. Even if their parents return the hierarchy seemingly remains forever in flux as the outside threatens their survival. 

 

Without going into any great detail about the story Ezban has incorporated plot devices that are familiar to viewers. While there are no big surprises in the plot for folks who have watched too many movies, here Parvulos still manages ‘to go there’ at least a couple times as the story rolls towards its conclusion. Ezban maintains great tension throughout their film, some real dig your claws into your armrests incidents. Everything is bolstered by an equally tense score from Camill Uboldi and Edy Lan. Counter to that moments of lightness and humor exist to break the tension, showing humanity still exists in dangerous times. 

 

Never missing an opportunity to horrify Ezban insisted on using practical effects whenever they could. Parvulos scores high marks on gore, thanks to the effects work of Roberto Ortiz. Whether they are used to horrify or to draw out laughs in a moment of dry humor, horror fans will deeply appreciate Ortiz’s work on display here, with a nod to Day of the Dead in there, I’m sure of it.

 

What a wonderful job these three young men have done with Ezban’s script. Savador, played by Felix Farid Escalante, is the eldest, raising his young brothers Oliver (Leonardo Cervantes) and the youngest Benjamin (Mateo Ortega Casillas). It would be cliche to say something like, you would think that these lads are brothers in real life, but credit is due to their commitment to their characters/roles. Under Ezban’s direction all three give great, believable performances. 

 

And Ezban. Forever a student of the cinematic arts, they have of course crafted a beautiful film to watch. They’ve drained the film of nearly all its color, such as the world has been drained of nearly all its life. Only during a tragic act of violence in the final act do they allow the full spectrum of color to invade our ocular senses, making it unmissable. Despite the global tragedy that created this world Nature is still something beautiful to look at through their lens as sprawling mountain ranges and forest canopies are caught from on high. 

 

Going further and further into the horror genre Ezban has made a film that carries great tension throughout, broken by moments of levity and humor. Not afraid to shy away from the gore, its gruesome execution reminds the viewer that death looms in the woods outside, and possibly down in the basement. Through it all, a film that Ezban dedicated to his own brothers, the themes ring clear. Brotherly and family love exists in time fraught with danger and horror, and though how it looks may change from beginning to end, it is still your family and you still look after each other to the very end.