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Marisa Crespo and Moises Romera’s You Are Not Me is effective as a genre flick, if you can overlook the predictability and allow it some brownie points of creating a persuasive, unnerving sense of atmosphere. Yes, some moves are uninspired but there’s some fun to be had in watching an uptight family unravel, secrets tumbling to the fore, all brought together in a stew of fear and edgy discomfort.

What Romera and Crespo particularly succeed in building is a creeping, amplifying sense of unease, a dread that lingers beneath placid surfaces. The composure and niceties of families come under the scanner, revealing grotesque energies simmering beneath. Who can be trusted? There are all sorts of uncertain elements to be grappled with, realisations to be made peace with, confrontations demanding explanation.

The film hints at dramatic change but weaves them in slow, careful gradations, dropping the scale of it on us in terrifying,...

You Are Not Me (Tú no eres yo) understands the anxiety of holiday family gatherings. It weaponizes it and taps into the fear of rejection and the paranoia stemming from not being loved enough — or at least not in the way one wants. Such is the case for Aitana (Roser Tapias), who’s visiting her parents for Christmas with partner Gabi (Yapoena Silva) and adopted son in tow. Naturally, she expects a warm welcome but her parents — Dori (Pilar Almería) and Oriol (Álvaro Báguena) — are not excited to see her and are put off by her surprise appearance.

The Thriller Plays Up The Anxiety Of Aitana’s Situation

Writer-directors Marisa Crespo and Moisés Romera build tension through this complex family relationship. Things get especially heated as Aitana learns her parents have taken in Nadia (Anna Kurikka), a refugee-turned-caretaker for Aitana’s brother (Jorge Motos), and are treating her like more...