Painless

Painless (2012)

Genres - Horror, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller  |   Sub-Genres - Psychological Thriller, War Drama  |   Run Time - 100 min.  |   Countries - Germany, Spain, France, Portugal  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Jason Buchanan

A successful neurosurgeon survives a deadly car crash, and learns that his family has dark secrets with roots in the Spanish Civil War after receiving a devastating diagnosis in this allegorical horror film from first-time director/co-writer Juan Carlos Medina (who penned the screenplay alongside Luiso Berdejo). Catalonia, Spain: 1931. As the first shots of the Spanish Civil War are fired, a group of young children unable to experience pain are locked away in a massive sanatorium in the mountains. Meanwhile, in the present day, celebrated neurosurgeon David Martel (Alex Brendemühl) and his expectant wife are out for a drive when a sudden accident turns his life upside down. His wife now dead and his premature son clinging to life, David walks away from the crash without serious injury, but learns that tests performed during his recover indicate he is suffering from lymphoma. Now the only thing that can save David's life is a bone marrow transplant from one of his parents. Now the deeper David digs into his family history, the more mysterious it seems to become. Only when he traces his lineage back to that hospital, where a frightened little boy grew into a real-life monster, will David finally begin to understand the long-buried secrets of his dark origins. But even then, it may still be too late to save him.

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Keywords

car-crash, cruelty, German [nationality], mystery [enigma], pain, parent, Spanish [nationality], torture, war