Agnosia - The Dark Secret - DVD

Film: Since childhood, Joana Prats (Bárbara Goenaga) has suffered from agnosia, a disease that makes it impossible for her to filter sensory perceptions. As a result, Joana must live under the constant supervision of her father Arthur (Sergi Mateu), a successful inventor and entrepreneur, and his servants. But when Arthur dies, taking the secret of an extremely dangerous weapon he designed to his grave, Joana becomes the target of a cruel plot. For Arthur's rival Prevert (Martina Gedeck), convinced that Joana knows all her father's secrets, wants to take advantage of her agnosia to get the formula for the weapon. Joana's fiancé Carles (Eduardo Noriega) and the lowly servant Vicent (Félix Gómez) unwittingly become key players in Prevert's dastardly plan. But there's one thing the ruthless businesswoman hasn't counted on: love.

Agnosia - The Dark Secret is a cleverly constructed thriller that impresses thanks to an original story and an engaging atmosphere. Set in the early 20th century and penned by acclaimed screenwriter Antonio Trashorras (The Devil`s Backbone), the story is full of cleverly constructed twists and exciting ideas. Admittedly, there are minimal lengths here and there, and the convoluted narrative doesn`t always contribute to a clear understanding of what`s going on. But in the end, the film proves to be a small but fine crime-love drama that rewards its viewers with great visuals and good actors.

The comparison with Inception, which can be read on the cover of the DVD, is not really comprehensible. But the film cannot be denied a literally dreamlike atmosphere. This is also thanks to the gloomy set, which seems to play a supporting role in almost every moment of the film. Director Eugenio Mira makes perfect use of elements like sets, camera, but also music and minor special effects to intensify the impact of the story. The end result is an exciting home movie premiere that can be absolutely recommended to lovers of European cinema.

Picture + Sound: The rather gloomy atmosphere of the story has been well captured on DVD. The rather pared down colour scheme plays no small part in this. Otherwise, the picture is very clean, only in some darker sequences weaknesses in the detail sharpness can be discerned. The sound remains rather restrained for long stretches and thrives on the directionally mixed dialogue and the coherent soundtrack. Here and there ambient noises and smaller sound effects provide a little dynamic, but overall the sound remains rather unspectacular. Nevertheless, there is a deserved good!

Extras: In addition to a film diary, which offers a nearly 30-minute, pleasantly commercial-free look behind the scenes. Here also the work of the outfitters, lighting and other crew members is shown and also the atmosphere on the set was well captured. All in all, a really good documentary, where only the lack of accompanying interviews might bother some interested viewers.

In addition to the shooting diary, the DVD has 20 minutes of deleted and extended scenes to offer, as well as the trailer for the film and other programming tips from the provider. German subtitles are available for the extras, which are in Spanish. Very good!

Conclusion: Agnosia - The Dark Secret is an atmospheric blend of thriller and romantic drama. Despite some lengths, the film offers exciting entertainment with high show value. The DVD is technically adequate implemented and also has some worth seeing extras on board. All in all, therefore, a successful home theater premiere, which has absolutely earned a recommend!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp