ORIGINES SECRETOS/ UNKNOWN ORIGINS
Spain, 2020, 96 minutes, Colour.
Javier Rey, Brays Efe, Veronica Echegui, Antonio Resines, Ernesto Aleterio, Alex Garcia, Leonardo Sbaraglia.
Directed by David Galan Galindo.
In his novel, The Never Game, Jeffrey Deaver has his hero visit a diner in Silicon Valley, all the young customers bent over laptops – and he makes the comment “exuding geek�. One of them takes him to a huge gaming centre, more geek.
A quick review of Unknown Origins: highly recommended for geeks.
And, not just for those who are gamers, who know the tradition of popular comics, graphic novels, details of characters and plot incidents, like to dress up as characters for conventions or parties, but as a guilty pleasure for those who are familiar with the DC World and the Marvel Universe through the movies.
At the opening, there is a sequence of real heroism, a policeman going back into a fire to rescue those trapped and dying in the attempt. That is not quite the image of heroism that follows. The dead man's father, however, is a skilled veteran, forced into retirement, with terminal cancer. His boss, Norma, is an absolutely dedicated fan of super heroism and dressing up, even skilled at making costumes. The policeman's son is Jorge, an absolute nerd, looking and acting like a young Jack Black, running a specialist store with all kinds of superhero memorabilia. He is asked by his father to accompany the new investigator, a particularly buttoned up, suit and tie, policeman, David.
So far, so geeky. However, the film goes into quite some higher gears, continually revving up as it progresses, some ghastly (understatement) murders with comic book-reference clues which Jorge can interpret. They are all based on comics which portray the origins of their hero. It is all a bit much for David but, he reveals that his parents were shot as they came out of the cinema and he witnessed their deaths (and we pat ourselves on the backs when we make the Wayne family connection and the possibility for David to be a Batman equivalent.)
There are several visits to the morgue, quite some analysis of what went on by the rather jocose mortician, all kinds of suggestions and theories for what has happened. There is also an oddball cameo from celebrated actor Leonardo Sbaraglia as a black market entrepreneur in comics and superhero memorabilia.
So, with suspected villains to be tracked down, there is a challenge to David, especially to avenge his parents. Will he do this in suit and tie? The villain wants him to don a costume and to give himself a comic book name. All building up to a climax involving the veteran policeman who solves the mystery, Norma and Jorge who have to let David do his avenging thing.
Screenplay draws its characters credibly enough within this fantasy Detective world. While the film is laced with humorous references, especially some Batman jokes, it opts for broad humour, pratfalls and farce, rather than indulge in subtlety.
1. Title? The origins of superheroes? The references to the comics, the stories, the details?
2. Madrid, the opening with the fire, the attempted rescue? Cosme and his career, illness, retirement? The sense of realism?
3. The transition into an alternate world of fantasy? The range of gruesome murders? The victims? The style of the murders, the elaborate procedures, costumes, and references to the comic books? The visits to the morgue? The mortician, his light hearted commentary, serious, explanations of what it happened? And the irony of the final revelation?
4. Cosme, his age, his expertise, his working with Norma, her being the boss, urging him to retire? The revelation of his cancer? The death of his son, the policeman, and the heroic rescue? His regret that he had not affirmed him enough? Jorge, at home, the old man cooking, concerned about Jorge and his shop, the superhero memorabilia, his costumes?
5. David, his becoming a policeman, buttoned up, shirt and tie, questioning, disapproving of the behaviour of Jorge and Norma? The advice from Cosme? The commands from Norma? The introduction to Jorge, as his partner? The visits to the murder sequences, the successive murders, successively gruesome, his being sick at the site? The visits to the morgue and the mortician?
6. Jorge, his comic skills, his manner? The group of friends, their dressing up, David seeing them as losers, their explanations of their professional life? Their enjoying the world of comics and superheroes? The later party, their being poisoned with the lemonade and collapsing?
7. David, the investigations, interactions with Norma, the kiss, her reaction?
8. The successive murders, the comic references, Jorge and his explanations? The attention to all the details of the origins?
9. David, the story of his parents, the parallel with the murder of the Wayne parents and the child witnessing it? The setup for a Batman kind of vengeance?
10. A suspect, visiting his house, his being dead for five years? The further clues?
11. The visit to Paco, eccentric, dealing in black-market ware? His getting the information? (And his appearing in the final post-credits confrontation with David?)
12. David and his having to make a decision about wearing a costume? His unwillingness? Going to the party, the criticism? Norma making the costume? His putting it on? Cosme, his dead son’s uniform, Jorge having it in the cupboard, bring it out, David wearing it?
13. The venue for the confrontation, Cosme going to the office, working out who the criminal was? His being held – the conversations, his being killed? David in the car, leaving Norma behind, leaving Jorge behind?
14. Driving, echoes of the Batmobile, the moon and the sign in the sky, coming up to the upper floor, seeing Cosme killed? The confrontation, the costumes, the killer and the acid distorting his face? And the fact that he had not killed David’s parents? But had used the event? The fight, going over the side, his death?
15. David and the arrival of a new superhero?
