‘Las consecuencias’ perishes from its own heaviness ★★☆☆☆

Dark family secrets, that’s why it revolves in the psychological drama Las consecuencias† The Spanish-Venezuelan director and screenwriter Claudia Pinto sprinkles it generously, so much so that the gloomy film slowly but surely takes on a suffocating atmosphere. There’s nothing wrong with that, but with any added trauma, the scenario becomes less believable. While 40-year-old Fabiola (Juana Acosta) is still mourning her late husband, doubts arise about the close relationship between her father and her teenage daughter. Fabiola’s grandfather and an aunt also have something to hide.

The landscapes, including a Spanish volcanic island, are beautiful, but the film suffers from its own heaviness. The moody camera work in shades of blue and gray, the pained-looking actors: they unintentionally take on less and less meaning in this monotonous Spanish-Dutch-Belgian co-production.