Guadalajara 2026 Review: THE AWAKENING (El Despertar), Echoes of History, Buried in Confusion

An elite military unit goes deep into the Colombian jungle to eliminate a strategic target. However, once they have completed the mission the unit finds themselves in a desperate fight for their lives as the violence awakens supernatural forces in the surrounding forest. 

 

The team has unknowingly trespassed on the territory of Mobuya, the protective spirit of a sacred site, once occupied by the land’s indigenous peoples. They were a people who met a tragic end at the hands of an expedition of Spanish conquistadors. This expedition met a similar fate at the hands of Mobuya and their story echoes alongside that of the military unit as it desperately seeks a way out from danger. History is repeating itself.

 

Rojas is the most senior officer left after the attack and he takes the survivors into hiding and waits until their extraction comes in the morning. There they discover more about the region’s horrific past. 

 

Cinema has many offerings when it comes to military themed horror films, where highly trained fighting men and women find themselves at odds with someone or something supernatural that their training could not have prepared them for. Some of it has been for sheer entertainment, while others have used the fusion of subgenres for cultural or social commentary. The late Jaime Osorio Marquez appears to have intended for their last film The Awakening to take on the responsibility of the latter. 

 

While The Awakening does entertain and make attempts at tension and scares, the presumed intention of the story is where it gets a bit muddy. Because while Rojas, the military unit, and its survivors hide away in caves they find in the jungle, defending themselves against their attackers, we are not entirely sure that they know who, what or why they’re being attacked. We the audience know in time, because we are told, in flashbacks, that Spanish conquistadors and the church were the first to travel deep into these jungles, and affront the local spirit, Mobuya, and their followers. 

 

The technical elements are cool; displays of military might do make us weak in the knees. Then in the opening half hour the team inserts into the jungle, finds and eliminates their target, awakening something terrible in the jungle that attacks them. We believe that director Osorio inserts a couple visuals that are nods or winks at the cornerstone of military jungle horror and sci-fi, John McTiernan’s Predator. 

 

The violence that crashes down on the team is rooted in nature, using the elements of the jungle to overpower military might. Likewise, the same natural elements are used against the conquistadors, while their muskets and blades offer a more blunt and brutal retort. 

 

Is that enough to offset how much connecting the dots is required of the viewer when watching this one. Who or what are the creatures that are hunting down the unit? Are they the original indigenous peoples that the conquistadors came across, or something that the local peoples worshipped as part of their devotion to Mobuya? 

 

The story has an ending that really isn’t a conclusion and much gets lost in its vagueness.

There seem to be some allusions to a connection that Rojas and his family have, either to this malevolent spirit, or its followers, but it is not said outright. Nor is the fate of the survivors by the end of this movie, either. The return at the end of another character only adds to the confusion. It is like being given a puzzle with not all of the pieces in the box, but it has extra corners for some reason. 

 

Take the weird story line of the lone female soldier, Pardo, and her side mission after she is snatched away from the rest of the survivors early in the middle act. As she navigates the caves she comes across a mass grave and nothing comes of it. There is no explanation of who they were. We think we know who they were, but we are not certain.

 

The Awakening stands out for its strong visuals, horror and action, and an attempt to blend military horror with historical and cultural themes. Its use of the jungle environment and moments of violence are engaging. However, the storytelling is often unclear, with character threads that don’t fully connect. Key ideas feel unexplained or incomplete, and the ending lacks resolution, making the overall experience more frustrating than expected.