REVIEW: MORE THAN A THOUSAND CAMERAS ARE WORKING FOR YOUR SAFETY (2003)
by Beatriz Ayllón (*)
MORE THAN A THOUSAND CAMERAS ARE WORKING FOR YOUR SAFETY (2003) is a Spanish movie produced by Canal+ España, Ensueño Films and Lotus films,
written by David Alonso, Ryan Carrassi, and Fernando Cámara and directed by David Alonso, who makes his solo debut after co-directing with Fernando Cámara MEMORIES OF A FALLEN ANGEL (1997). Also known as WHO’S WATCHING, this is the first Spanish film with digital post-production. In 2003 there were also released THE WITCH AFFAIR, directed by José Miguel Juárez and BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR, a horror-comedy directed by Brian Yuzna and written by José Manuel Gómez, whose characters were inspired by those of H.P. Lovecraft.
While I was watching for the second time – the first one was at the cinema the year of its release – MORE THAN A THOUSAND CAMERAS ARE WORKING FOR YOUR SAFETY I tried not to be judgmental, but I failed. Let’s begin with the synopsis to frame the context. Two students, Toni, played by Antonio Hortelano – known in Spain by his role as the high school bad boy in a series called COMPAÑEROS (1998-2002) – and Roberto, played by Lorenzo Armenteros, use the Internet to write a college essay they need to finish as soon as possible in order to have time to go to a party where Toni’s ex-girlfriend, who he cheated on, is going to be. While searching for information they happen to find a website where a user, who introduces himself as Keller, invites them to play a game. Of course, they accept, and of course, this decision has catastrophic consequences that are revealed throughout the film.
The first scene is disturbing, well done and it makes you think you’re going to watch something that is, at least, acceptable. But from then on, a downhill descent begins.
It all starts with a call from Susana, Toni’s ex, played by Laura Manzanedo, known for her part in a teen series called AL SALIR DE CLASE (1997-2001). She asks for help because her new boyfriend’s car has broken down. Álex, her boyfriend, played by Fernando Andina, who also had a role in AL SALIR DE CLASE as a villain, is a working man from a wealthy family. When Toni and Roberto arrive where the couple is supposed to be, they find Álex’s car empty with the doors open in front of a zoo which fence suddenly opens. Once there, they hear sounds that are supposed to be scary and Susana’s voice crying for help. Why did I start talking about this scene? I don’t know. Maybe because of the nonsensical action that takes place in the zoo when Toni jumps into the water to save who he thinks is Susana and, surpringsily, as no one expects it, it is just a mannequin. Why does he jump into the water when he could have a walk? Why is Roberto standing there, commenting on what is happening as if he is watching a football match he is not really interested in? Why is the acting so poor? These are many questions so far, but I have more.
The film is supposed to be disturbing and violent. It’s also intended to have a menacing tone to remark there is an evil being walking around hiding from others. But there is no fear, no tension, no violence. And when shown it looks cheap. It follows the conventions of the slasher genre, but it doesn’t quite get there either. All the characters involved, Ana -Mónica Estarreado-, Patricia -Eva Marciel-, Lorena -Aurora Carbonell- and the others I mentioned above, seem to be wandering around pointlessly, making absurd and incoherent decisions. And when I say wandering around, I mean it. There is a scene that takes place in the subway. The point of that scene is to keep the viewer on alert because, as I said above, it seems someone is interested in killing them, and also to provoke a feeling of anxiety as if they were in a labyrinth. But some of them just walk or wait quietly, ignoring the fact that they could be in danger for what seemed to be like a century. Talking about walking and the subway, why does it take them so little to get to a train stopped on the tracks when there is a later scene where one of the characters is on a motorbike and it takes ages to get to the platform?
The film is intended as a social critique of the use of technology. It’s easy to get that just because of the title, but it is done in such a clumsy way that the message is not only lost but also parodied. There are ads in the subway station which are supposed to awaken the characters’ conscience about their decisions in life. There’s even a bin with the printed words “More than a thousand cameras are working for your safety”.
The only interesting narrative decision, although predictable, is that they begin to distrust each other, and I found myself guessing who The bad guy was. I know I saw it many years ago, but memory is wise and gets rid of the unnecessary, for example, this movie.
As for the ending, well, you might not be surprised if I tell you that it is as bad as the rest of the movie. It has plot twists, it has a bit of violent content, but it is as incoherent and incomprehensible as the other acts.
I have to say that as you probably have noticed, this is a dreadful movie, I had fun watching it as it gets worse especially with the performances, I felt A sense of ridiculousness.
If you are brave enough to see MORE THAN A THOUSAND CAMERAS ARE WORKING FOR YOUR SAFETY, you can find it on FlixOlé.
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Beatriz Ayllón lives in Madrid. She has a degree in English language and literature. She is a teacher and web developer. She loves horror and sci-fi movies and books and researching narrative techniques. She contributes to a Spanish cinema website writing reviews and has collaborated on some streaming programs talking about true crimes. Currently, she is working on a short story collection.
