The Elderly AKA Viejos(2022)(Review)

During a radical heatwave in Madrid, Spain, where the temperature reaches triple digits and continues to rise for a series of days, something strange begins happening to the elderly. The film begins when Naia’s grandmother jumps off a balcony without warning, plummeting to her death, but things only seem to get worse as her widow tries to mourn and cope. He begins acting irrational – saying threatening things to his own family and standing, facing the wall for long periods of time – and only seems to get worse. To add to everything, all the other elderly folk in the area also begin to act strange.

The story itself is a bit dull because not a whole lot more happens throughout the runtime, but that doesn’t mean the story itself is boring – it’s just rather simple with what is executed. But the tension between the family as they try to make sense of their grandmother’s death, and now the grandfather’s behavior, grows worse and worse as time continues. They keep saying that the grandmother will return, and there are ghostly visitations happening late at night. And the very end that we build to? Chilling and obscure in the best of ways.

It’s a film that’s a bit hard to explain because it is so unconventional and almost typical at the same time, but it’s a great exercise in grief, tension, and a wavering reality. It’s dark and feels believable while making the viewer feel helpless once they begin to suspect what is heading their way. It does have its flaws and does feel like a good 20-minutes or so could have been trimmed off, but it’s certainly an experience that concludes in a way that makes you want to rewatch the entire thing because it changes the context quite radically.

3/5
“The Elderly” is currently streaming on Shudder.

‘Til Next Time,
Mike Cleoptra

The Gruesome Gazette

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