What are you really capable of? And how far would you go to do it?
Directed by: Oriol Paulo
Screenplay by: Lara Sendim & Oriol Paulo
This was a spicy one for the books. The pacing, the twists, and the sheer density of the plot made this film outstanding — especially for anyone who loves a well-executed mystery thriller.
Our main character doesn’t exactly love his wife the way a man should, and that fact becomes crystal clear pretty early on. You don’t need Sherlock Holmes to figure out he married her for all the wrong reasons. The entire film strings you along — pulling you left, right, and upside down — making you search for answers while not even knowing the right questions to ask.
Originally a Spanish film with an American remake (The Vanished), The Body ends exactly the way you’d expect… But not in the way you’d expect to expect it. It’s one of those films where the answers are right in front of your face the entire time — but you’re too busy looking for something else to notice. When the credits roll, you’ll either feel like a genius for catching the hints… or an absolute dumbass for missing them.
Jaime Peña (José Coronado) — the detective. The man with all the answers. From the moment he steps onto the screen, you can tell this dude has been through some shit. His intrusive stare and slow, methodical dialogue practically scream “I know you’re guilty, I’m just waiting for you to crack.” He’s not just solving the case — he’s settling a score.
Álex Ulloa (Hugo Silva) — the husband. Our prime suspect. Emotionless. Calm. Guilty as hell. I don’t care if you haven’t seen the movie yet — the second you see this guy’s face, you’ll know he did it. The man looks like he was built in a lab to play a cheating husband in a murder mystery. But… Is he really guilty? Or is he just a victim of the film’s mind games?
Carla Miller (Aura Garrido) — the mistress. A little underdeveloped, but for good reason. Without giving too much away, let’s just say she’s the kind of woman who will ride or die for a plan — even if the plan starts to go sideways. Her 1-on-1 scenes with Álex have this weird soap opera energy — like the camera’s trying a little too hard to milk the tension — but she plays her role perfectly.
Mayka Villaverde (Belén Rueda) — the wife. Well… “ex” wife. Now, here’s where things get really weird. Mayka is one of those characters who makes you feel uneasy every time she’s on screen — even in flashbacks. She’s always one step ahead — always making these dark, borderline psychotic jokes that make you think… “Wait… what if she’s not actually dead?”
The whole film revolves around a missing body from the morgue — Mayka’s body. The cops know Álex did it. Álex knows Álex did it. We know Álex did it. But… where the hell is the body?
That’s the beauty of this movie. It makes you focus so hard on who took the body that you forget to ask the real question: Why was the body taken?
Total Spoiler Warning!
Alright — let’s cut the bullshit. Yes, the husband did it. But the movie makes that obvious from the jump — that’s not the twist. The real twist is that Mayka knew he was going to kill her the entire time. She planned her own revenge from beyond the grave — orchestrating everything with the precision of a goddamn chess master.
Every clue… Every coincidence… Every mindfuck… It was all part of her final joke — one last way to make Álex pay.
You spend the whole movie thinking you’re watching a game of cat and mouse — only to realize the mouse was dead the whole time… and still won.
Is The Body a perfect film? Hell no. Some of the melodrama feels a little forced. A few twists feel like they’re trying too hard. And that soap opera energy creeps in every now and then. But… If you’re into psychological thrillers that mess with your head and leave you questioning every single frame, this is absolutely worth the watch.
Would I recommend it? Sí.
Just… Don’t knock your drink over when the twist hits.
Enjoy: The Body.
