Intensity: 🩸1/2 out of 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸
Written and directed by Patricio Valladares
What the Tide Dragged In (Lo Que Trajo La Marea) is an emotionally charged, Chilean tale of sisterhood and loss. Two sisters go to the coast to comply with their mother’s wish to have her ashes cast to the sea. Their mom warned them of the mysteries of the sea. It has vast power that will come to claim what it wants.
Chile is an emerging horror film nation, having produced the stunningly beautiful and Oscar-nominated El Conde, the punchy anthology Apps, and the death metal grinder Invoking Yell. Regionally, Argentina has been a dominant force in the horror scene. Now you can add What the Tide Dragged In to the Patagonian horror catalog. In this context, the biggest limiting factor for this film is the production values.
The story has a ton of heart. It is a simple, somber tale. This is a two-hander tale. There are only two characters present in the movie. Subsequently, a strong chemistry develops between the actresses, who are wholly believable as siblings. The story is a slow burner, as it devotes considerable time to establishing the relationship between the two women. The horror is faint, as it is presented more as a lingering dread than raw terror. The tragic elements ring true, and the overall tone of the film is melancholy.
The Cast of What the Tide Dragged In
- María Jesús Marcone plays Clara Garcia, the older sister who left Chile to live in London. She lives with regrets for not returning soon enough once her mother announced she was ill, and died before she could return home. Clara is an amateur photographer.
- Luna Martinez plays Martina Garcia, the younger sister who stayed home to care for their mother in her final days. Martina harbors a deep-seated resentment towards Clara, feeling that she shouldered the entire emotional burden and blames Clara for hiding from the situation.
A Synopsis of What the Tide Dragged In
Pülükura is the stone church of the Chilean coast. It is a spiritual portal to the world of the dead. In recent years, though, the place has become a tourist attraction, and a dangerous one. It attracts those curious about the bridge to the afterlife.
Clara and Martina Garcia are on their way to Pülükura to spread the ashes of their mother after the funeral. Their childhood memories were full of adventures at the ocean. On their way, they visit the grave of their grandfather, who used to tell them stories of mermaids and sea ghosts. Martina recalls that their mother said in her final days that his ghost would visit her every day, until the day she died.
The sisters arrive at the lonely beach, which is surrounded by rocky monoliths. The sisters say their farewells and, per their mother’s wishes, cast her remains to the waves. The sea and wind take the ashes, and through narration, we hear the voice message that their mama left for them. She wants the two of them to go together, as a reminder of all the good times they had together. But, she warns them:
“There are forces in the water that have been there long before us, and not all of them are at peace. Don’t forget, my little one, that the sea holds secrets and not all of them want to be discovered. Goodbye for now, my little one.”
Mama to Clara
Clara and Martina relax on the beach for a bit, and get into an argument regarding the responsibility of taking care of their mother in her final days. Clara was overseas, but claimed not to know the magnitude of the illness. Martina blames Clara for shirking her responsibility. The siblings talk through their grievances and make amends. Clara ignores her mother’s warnings and encourages Martina to take a dip in the waves.
They frolic for a bit, but the waves get stronger. Martina gets swept away by the current. Clara panics, calling out for her sister, and after hours of fruitless searching, finds Martina washed into a cave in one of the monoliths. The sea has returned Martina, but she has come back… changed.
Evaluation of What the Tide Dragged In
Let’s start with the positive. This movie packs a lot of soul-searching emotions into its story. These are familiar family dynamics that can be appreciated by anyone who has cared for an aging parent or has a strained relationship with a sibling. These feelings are deeply held and built over a lifetime of relationships. Clara has lost her mother. In a flash of water, she loses Marina too. Grief and guilt emanate from the screen. High marks given for gut-wrenching drama.
As a horror movie, the story comes up thin. What the Tide Dragged In delivers much of the horror tension in the form of exposition. The lore of Pülükura is largely suggested and explained rather than shown. A mysterious figure in the distance is briefly shown on a cliff top, suggesting a ghostly spirit, but the moment passes, and is never explained. The startling still image of the head totem that the studio provided for press promotion is hugely compelling. Unfortunately, it is either a blink-or-you-miss-it moment, or not in the movie at all. Bummer!
I also received a low-resolution screener, and I’m unsure if a high-definition print will be available for streaming in the future. The production values have been bleached out. There is a powder-blue filter that desaturates the color palette. This hue shift provides a mood-dampening tone. Since this film is essentially a tragedy, that may be appropriate for the vibes, but it flattens out the emotional weight.
Both of the actresses deliver strong performances. The bonds feel real. The disagreements, both petty and profound, ring authentically.
Concluding Thoughts
The story is simple enough that it could have made a very compelling short film. It has a run time of an hour and eighteen minutes, and feels a bit stretched to tell this story. It’s a good story, but if the pacing had picked up, it could have been accomplished in under an hour. That would put it in the awkward long-short film category.
The drama is capably told—even the horror moments convey appropriate mystery and dread. The limitations of a shoestring independent budget hampered the delivery of the supernatural elements more powerfully. I appreciated the presentation of the Chilean coast. It reminds me strongly of the Pacific Northwest, with its lonely rocky outcrops and cold Pacific tides. The location felt familiar, but different enough to make it a little exotic and beautiful.
What the Tide Dragged in was part of the Popcorn Frights Film Festival Digital Screening Room. As this is a small, independent Chilean film, it remains to be seen if it will get a US Digital release. It would not surprise me if either Mubi or Tubi would pick up the distribution rights for this film. The film is not rated, but its content does not contain anything notably objectionable for teen audiences or older viewers. I doubt that this film will submit to the MPAA.