
Canadian Premiere
In the arid desert of southern Spain, a labourer and recovering alcoholic, Eladio, with his beloved wife and young son, takes residence as the gamekeeper of a rural ranch. Three years into his tenure the family is on the brink of destitution. Forced to take a bribe to make ends meet, Eladio lets a hunting party make an unsafe hunt, and pays the a terrible price. Wracked with guilt, Eladio’s world begins to deteriorate as the debt comes due on his bargain. Director F. Javier Gutierrez brings his horror muscle to bear on what is fundamentally a rich character study and a felt tragedy. Sun-blistered cinematography, and the uneasy emptiness of the scorched Spanish country fuse elements of westerns, thrillers, visceral body horror, and psychological drama into a fresh Faustian folk tale.
Series Media Partner
Víctor Clavijo, Ruth Díaz, Moisés Ruiz, Manuel Morón, Antonio Estrada
Spain
2023
Altered States
In Spanish with English subtitles
Graphic Violence, Self Harm, Drug & Alcohol Abuse
At International Village
At The Rio
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits
Producer
Adrián Guerra, Antonio P. Pérez, F. Javier Gutiérrez
Screenwriter
F. Javier Gutierrez
Cinematography
Miguel A. Mora
Editor
F. Javier Gutierrez
Production Design
F. Javier Gutierrez
Original Music
Zeltia Montes
Director

F. Javier Gutierrez
F. Javier Gutierrez is an award-winning filmmaker whose filmography crosses genres of horror, sci-fi and thriller. Before the Fall, Javier’s first feature, premiered in the the Berlin Film Festival. Rings, the third installment of The Ring franchise, opened #2 in the US box office and grossed $83M worldwide. Javier is member of the Directors Guild of America, and the European Film Academy, and serves as President of DR. T Producciones (Spain), and Unfiled Films (USA).
Filmography: Before the Fall (2008); Rings (2017)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
East of Eden
Salinas, 1917. Cal Trask's forlorn attempts to win the affection of his self-righteous father (Raymond Massey) represented James Dean's first leading role in the cinema, and his emotionally raw performance ennobled misunderstood youth everywhere.
Jesse Zubot in Concert
Using a violin, viola and miscellaneous electronics, and incorporating multiple sounds and techniques that relate to his work as a film composer, Jesse Zubot promises a unique and thrilling concert, followed by a preview of the the new BC film Inedia.
Rebel Without a Cause
Kids turned bad in the 1950s -- and their newly comfortable middle-class parents couldn't understand why. Ray points the finger right back at them: "You're tearing me apart!" rails Jim Stark (James Dean), speaking for his generation.
Super Happy Forever
This beguiling film depicts a man’s return to the Japanese seaside town where he met his now-deceased wife five years earlier. He tries to relive the past, and in the film's final section -- a flashback to 2018 -- the audience is afforded that privilege.
A Streetcar Named Desire
"I don't want realism. I want magic!" declares Blanche du Bois, the tragic heroine who meets her nemesis in her sister's husband, Stanley Kowalski, in Tennessee Williams' great play. Brando's performance as Stanley is a turning point in American acting.
Giant
This was the Yellowstone of its time: a big, sweeping modern Western built around an imposing ranch and family dynamics -- except Giant is much more subversive. James Dean strikes it rich as Jett Rink, much to the disgust of his former boss, Rock Hudson.