‘Bad Weed (aka Maleza)’ Review
Stars: Víctor Amilibia, Emma Caballero, Leire Ucha, Christian Stamm, Diego Pérez, Nayra Gallego, Javi Alaiza | Written and Directed by Rubén Arnaiz
I often speak about the title of a movie being important. I think with so much media, so many streaming services and of course so many films to watch, many people might make the quick decision on what to watch on the name of the movie. Bad Weed is not a good name for a movie but thankfully, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover (or a movie by its name – you get my point!).
We first see Carlos being interviewed leaving the courtroom after a seemingly successful trial, for himself at least. But moments later he awakes in a forest with his hands handcuffed behind him. He is being chased and attacked by a sociopath but is saved by a woman who lives in the secluded and will help him face their common enemy.
It’s a relatively simple set-up but writer/director Ruben Arnaiz fits in several twists and turns in the short run time. Nothing feels too ridiculous, even though it easily could have, and although the film goes back and forth in time and involves quite a lot of characters, it is mostly easy to follow. This is not a simple cat and mouse chase-style slasher movie. Although that is at least part of it and we do get a few gory death scenes and injuries. The blood and gore all look good, all with practical effects and you wouldn’t have guessed on a low budget that it does have (less than $25,000 apparently).
The whole film looks really good too. Bad Weed is shot well and it came as no surprise to me when I discovered that the director had many movies under his belt. The experience shows and everything from the drone shots of the forests to the gore to the handheld footage, all looks super professional. A constant reminder that indie movies can still look great.
It also came as no surprise to discover that many of the main actors are highly experienced too. They all seem at ease on camera, simple interactions feel very real, while the more intense moments are just as well acted.
Unfortunately at less than sixty minutes long, Bad Weed is a little too short. Don’t get me wrong, not all films have to be an hour and a half or longer and sometimes it’s good to end a movie wanting more but that wasn’t quite the case here. It felt like the last ten minutes or so were just trying to cram in as much as possible and it was all rushed to fit it all in. Maybe it was budget restraints but the tension and eventual reveals would have worked better given some more time. I would have liked to have learnt a bit more of the back-story of the lead characters too but what is shown is only brief.
Bad Weed is proof if you needed it that a bad title does not make a bad movie (although technically the original Spanish title is Maleza). This horror thriller is highly entertaining and at approximately fifty-five minutes you have no time to lose interest!
