Film Digest [11.15.2025]: An Emerging Name in Spanish Horror, A Mother Catfishing on Behalf of Her Unconscious Daughter, A Documentary of Feminist Punk Artist Peaches, and More
- Chinyere Ibeh
- 7 minutes ago
- 7 min read
Another week highlighting upcoming films from award-winning directors and film festival favorites.
Thrilling stories, a horrific entity that transcends time, political division, some comedy, and a music documentary take their spot in this week’s film digest. Many of these films have been shopped around in last year’s film festival circuit, some receiving their days in theaters while one receives a digital release. Though, a couple of the films are still in production, and their future plans have not been publicized.
Pedro Martín-Calero’s Feature Film Debut, “The Wailing,” Coming to Video-On-Demand and Digital Platforms Next Month
“The Wailing” follows three young women across different times who are terrorized by the same mysterious entity, one that can’t be easily seen by other people.
Andrea, a university student in present-day Madrid, was living a relatively normal life until her boyfriend died in an act of violence. From that fateful day, the scary entity began to follow her wherever she went. Two decades prior, a woman living in Buenos Aires dealt with the same mysterious entity.
Documentarian Camila learned what the women went through, and she tried to tell other people. Though, no one would believe her.
Directed by Pedro Martín-Calero, and written alongside Isabel Peña, “The Wailing” was featured in many festival festivals last year. The film won the Silver Seashell and Best Director awards during its time at the San Sebastian International Film Festival.
In a press conference for the film festival, the writing duo said there wasn’t an intention to create a high-concept film. Rather, they wanted to create a simple horror film that relied on images and the overall atmosphere.
The film is centered around a scenario where a woman is attacked by an entity that’s hard to understand. Calero said the film allows the viewer to impart their own fears from the real world onto the entity.
“A common fear theme in horror movies is not believing the victim, and we realized that this is absolutely what happens these days,” Peña added. “It was something that made our skin crawl, and we knew that the theme was there to be conveyed.”
Development for the film took four years before filming began in Madrid, Variety reports. The long development proved to be justified as local film critics praised the film, comparing it to “Midsommar” and “Hereditary."
“The Wailing” has been nominated for this year’s Best New Director Goya Award, and it will become available digitally on December 5.
“The Mother and The Bear” Follows an Overbearing Mother Trying to Find Love for Her Comatose Daughter
Written and directed by Johnny Ma, a graduate from both the Columbia University MFA program and 2014 Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Labs, “The Mother and The Bear” serves as his third film overall and the first one outside of China.
In the film, 26-year-old Sumi suffers an accident that puts her in a coma. Her overbearing mother embarks on a mission to find someone to look after her daughter, specifically a suitable husband. She plans to do this before her daughter wakes up from her coma.
The search, happening via a dating app, ultimately leaves Sumi’s mother changed forever.
“Johnny Ma’s unique blend of humor and insightful reflections on contemporary issues offers a fresh perspective that stands out in today’s film landscape,” FilmNation’s Glen Basner exclusively told Variety.
FilmNation Entertainment had acquired world sales rights to the film with Basner expressing the company’s excitement for handling the sales for the film. The 2024 film had its world premiere at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival.
Ma’s 2024 dramedy serves as Rhombus Media and Fabula production with the help of Thin Stuff Production. Juan de Dios Larraín, known for Oscar-nominated films “Spencer” (2021) and “Jackie” (2016), served as an executive producer.
“The Mother and The Bear” will hit theaters at the top of the new year with a January 2 release date.
“Peaches Goes Bananas” Took a 17-Year Journey With Queer Feminist Icon, Will Take to Theaters Next Month
Award-winning documentarian Marie Losier followed Merrill Nisker, famously known as Peaches, for 17 years of her trailblazing career.
“Peaches Goes Bananas” dives into the life of the provocative musician, notably highlighting her concerts, her bond with her sister, and the fearless exploration that transformed every phase of her life into a work of art.
The film had its North American premiere at last year’s Festival du Nouveau Cinema in Montreal. Billboards reports that the film doesn’t follow a linear narrative as it “weaves together concert footage, behind-the-scenes tour diaries, and slice-of-life clips from Peaches’ world.”
The Canadian musician rose to popularity in the early 2000s, helped by her brash feminist approach to sexuality and her electroclash tracks. Nisker once detailed the time she lived above a sex shop on Toronto’s Queen Street. The audience also sees the life before Peaches became Peaches, specifically when she worked as a caregiver at YMCA.
“Peaches Goes Bananas” serves as the second documentary following the musician, the first being “Teaches of Peaches.” The 2024 documentary film captures the 2022 “The Teaches of Peaches Anniversary Tour,” which was celebrating the 22-year anniversary of the musician’s sophomore album.
“Teaches of Peaches” won the Best Documentary/Essay Film award at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, at which the film premiered. That documentary paralleled the tour’s timeline with a chronology of Nisker’s career until that point.
Even though the two projects were released relatively close to one another, Nisker notes the differences between the two.
“The projects are so different,” Nisker told Variety. “One is more of a documentary of a certain album at a certain place in time, [whereas] Marie’s film … It’s more of a painting, a portrait. Marie gets excited about an artist and then goes her own way.”
Nisker ran into Losier backstage at a show, Losier turned her Bolex camera onto Nisker and didn’t put it down for the next 17 years.
“The film is very linked to the body, and how the body can be an object of art,” Losier said. “The film shows how a body across many stages and many ages can create beauty. And it’s a film where the music is felt physically.”
The handheld Bolex she filmed with couldn’t record sound, plus she notes how one doesn’t see what they’re filming. She says one has to focus on the moment, later discovering the surprises when you get the result.
Nisker’s personal archives are used throughout the film, and they showcase her creative approach. She taught music to kids in Toronto, describing the process as a trial by fire — that sentiment followed Nisker to her performances and overall stage presence.
“Peaches Goes Bananas” will be released in theaters on December 3, ending the year with the theatrical release.
Pedro Waddington and Rebeca Diniz Team Up for “Fuse,” a Brazilian Psychological Thriller Tapping into Political Polarization
The thriller opens with three teenaged cousins harassing an unhoused immigrant sleeping at an ATM. Consequences of the act unfold throughout the duo’s feature debut, which is making its rounds at the Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival.
“Fuse” is inspired by Herman Koch’s best-selling novel “The Dinner” and adapted for Brazilian production house Conspiraçào Filmes. Starting from the shocking crime, the film highlights the differing reactions from the two sets of parents of the children involved.
Pedro Waddington and Rebeca Diniz, the directing duo for “Fuse,” recall first joining the project when Andrucha Waddington turned it down due to schedule conflicts. Waddington and Diniz worked with the writing team to make the script more of their own.
“It was a slightly unusual project for a first film because we had to appropriate the script enough to make it feel like it was our project, too,” Waddington told Variety. “The project was also conceived as a hybrid film to work both in cinemas and on TV, so it came with a few guidelines and a particular language. Sergio, the scriptwriter, was incredibly generous in this process and managed to make the film [feel like our own], not just like hired guns.”
Waddington and Diniz originally worked together on Globoplay’s series “Under Pressure,” a medical drama following the drama of patients and doctors in a substandard hospital in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. The series allowed the duo to gain the Conspiraçào Filmes’ confidence to do “Fuse.”
“Our first work with ‘Under Pressure’ very much spoke to Brazilian society through the social drama format, and ‘Fuse’ is not far from that idea of having cinema in a direct dialogue with society. We are interested in this kind of depth and investigating human nature,” Diniz said.
As far as playing the film for competition at Huelva, Diniz says it’s an accomplishment and it will facilitate a dialogue between the duo’s work and the film community. The Spain-based festival is currently underway, serving as a way to get more international attention for Latin American, Spanish, and sometimes Andalusian titles.
Eva Green and Samuel L. Jackson Reunite for “Just Play Dead,” a Husband-and-Wife Thriller
“Kingdom of Heaven” actress Eva Green spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about working with Samuel L. Jackson again for “Just Play Dead.”
“I’ve been wanting to do another comedy for a long time and fell in love with the script and the idea of working with Sam,” Green told the publication. “His energy and generosity were unforgettable [on “Miss Peregrine”]. Sam brings humor, focus, and total confidence. He’s generous and fun: the best kind of partner on set.”
“Just Play Dead: follows wealthy criminal mastermind Jack Wolfe, played by Jackson, who plans to fake his death after being cornered by federal police. He intends to claim the $30 million life insurance payout with his “grieving” wife, Nora (Green).
The couple aims to frame her surfer lover Chad for Wolfe’s murder, though Nora aims to kill Wolfe for real and walk away with the money to herself. “Just Play Dead” will follow the couple as they try to outsmart one another, framing for one to come out on top.
Written by Dan Gordon and directed by Martin Campbell, “Just Play Dead” is currently in post-production. A release date has not been determined.