« Ahhhh, por eso se trata todo esto oye Gemma, de la penitencia. » [Ahhhh, that’s what it’s all about, Gemma, penance.]
Adela (Laura Galán) is a disturbed street sweeper from Madrid who works the night shift. Tonight, she is going to get revenge on those who ruined her life. A cocktail of drugs, sex, and deep rage fuels her cruelty towards everyone who crosses her path.
With One night with Adela (Una noche con Adela), Hugo Ruíz offers a transgressive work with a tense and energetic pace in which the viewer quietly discovers what it is really all about.
A single take
Filmed in a single long take, the audience evolves with agility alongside Adela as her anger unfolds throughout the night and the truth is gradually revealed. The use of the long take forces the camera to move with the character and gives the viewer the impression that they are with Adela, watching her do her thing and trying to interact with her.
Adela (Laura Galán)
On a few occasions, the camera gets closer to an area with a solid color, signifying a kind of sequence change, as if they had simply cut and changed the shot. A bit like the companion (the viewer) catching their breath, trying to regain their composure after a sequence of violence. Once the camera gets lost in Adela’s hair, another time it zooms in on the pink bathrobe.
The technique is interesting, because in single long take films (which are already rare), we rarely have a good way to show the change of sequence. Here, Hugo Ruíz does it to perfection.
Unexpected suspense
The film begins a bit like a drama, or a simple life chronicle, in which we follow Adela in her boring life. We quickly discover an unpleasant and aggressive person. Rarely are we offered such a disagreeable main character. But at one point we understand who she is and the film goes from drama to thriller. This woman has a goal and that goal is not pretty.
Galán, practically present in every minute of the film, delivers a brilliant performance in the role of an extraordinarily irredeemable character, who is as captivating as she is unlikable. I don’t think she ever smiles in the film, or even loses her sullen look.
The viewer can learn a little more about the character through the conversations Adela has with a radio host who has a show where people call in to talk about their problems. An interesting idea that allows the director to give information about the character’s past without changing the shot or introducing bad flashbacks, as we see too often in cinema. And I’m telling you, it works and there are surprises.
A little more…
Una Noche con Adela is a relentless journey into revenge. The tense pace sets in immediately as Adela, high, excited, and with a clenched jaw, begins her night of brutality.
You have to give yourself a few minutes before realizing how interesting the film is despite its character. But if you survive the first 10 minutes, you find yourself in an adventure that will leave no one indifferent.
Ruíz’s first feature film, Una noche con Adela, hits hard!
