Miguel Angel Sola who plays Dr. Fausto is reminiscent of Dirk Bogarde with the same gloomy serioiusness in his demeanor. His Mephistophes as played by Eduardo Fernandez is an even more intriguing actor in that he has to play this role close to the edge of disgusting but still have sufficient magnetism to believably tempt physicians above his class.
The film flirts with the supernatural & perhaps enters it with the momentary ghost of one of Fausto's dead patients, but is Santos really Mephistopheles? In this version of the Faust legend, little or nothing happens to Fausto outside the realms of possibility, & the dark magic of his situation could all be in Fausto's perspective, which is a perspective that throughout the film (very fascinatingly) makes ordinary things, like street workers in orange vests or people kissing on a subway platform, appear to be surreal.
Fausto enters into a Hell that for anyone else is merely the world we all live in. Magic realist more than overtly fantastic, having mere hints of occultism gives both the temptations & the gore an added texture of fascination.
copyright © by Paghat the Ratgirl
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