The Dead Mother: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain, 1993
Director: Juanma Bajo Ulloa
Writers: Juanma Bajo Ulloa, Eduardo Bajo Ulloa
Cast: Karra Elejalde, Ana Álvarez, Lio, Silvia Marsó, Elena Irureta, Ramón Barea

Release Date: October 2nd, 2023 (UK), October 10th, 2023 (USA)
Approximate running time: 111 Minutes 4 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Stereo English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £16.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"Ismael (Karra Elejalde, Timecrimes) breaks into the house of a fine art restorer and shoots the homeowner dead, leaving her daughter orphaned and traumatized for life. Years later Ismael is working in a bar where he sees the daughter again. Paranoid that she has recognised him and will report him, he kidnaps her and holds her hostage, demanding that her hospital pay a ransom for her release. As he spends more time with her, a strange bond develops that causes him to delay the ransom request or fulfil his threats of throwing her in front of a train. But he can’t delay forever…" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “The Dead Mother was restored from a 4K scan of the 35mm negative. This work was carried out at Cherry Towers lab in Madrid, Spain. The color grading was carried out on Davinci resolve on a frame by frame basis. The restoration was carried out on Digital Vision Phoenix via automatic and manual processes to eliminate all negative defects. All these works were supervised by Juanma Bajo Ulloa, and keeping in mind the previous color process, made for the DVD in 2008 by the director and Javier Aguirresarobe.’

The Dead Mother comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 42.2 GB

Feature: 27.6 GB

The source used for this transfer is in excellent shape. Flesh tones and colors look correct; image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid; and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM stereo mix in Spanish with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clean, clear, and balanced. Range-wise, this track sounds excellent.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (39 images - lobby cards/stills), a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with non-removable English subtitles), a Goya Award-winning short film by Juanma Bajo Ulloa titled Victor’s Kingdom (38 minutes 5 seconds, 1.66:1 aspect ratio, LPCM stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), an archival making of documentary titled The Story of The Dead Mother (38 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), reversible cover art, removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings, a CD with Bingen Mendizábal’s score (exclusive to the limited edition) and a 36-page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information for Victor’s Kingdom and The Dead Mother, soundtrack listing, an archival writing titled And Little Red Riding Hood Went Into Mourning written by Eduardo Bajo Ulloa, an archival writing titled Moralizing in Circles written by Juanma Bajo Ulloa, an archival writing titled So Far Away, So Close written by Nacho Vigalondo, an archival writing titled The Murderer Who Hated Words written by Juanma Bajo Ulloa, an essay titled The Cracks in Our Foundation: From Bonds to Bondage in The Dead Mother written by Xavier Aldana Reyes, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

The narrative revolves around a cold-blooded career criminal and the young girl he left for dead years before, who is still very much alive, albeit disabled.

Though I often return to films that I have connected with over the years, the best thing about watching cinema is actually discovering a film, especially one that's outside of the films that I usually look for, and being blown away by said film. Case in point: The Dead Mother.

Before any characters are introduced, The Dead Mother opens with a brutal sequence where a career criminal named Ismael is caught by the owner of the home he’s trying to rob. His first reaction is to quickly shoot the owner of the home with his shotgun, despite her pleas that there is no money in the home. On his way out, he crosses paths with the owner's daughter, whom he shots point blank with his shotgun. This sequence perfectly lays out the kind of person Ismael is.

When the narrative flashes forward years later, it is clear that Ismael is as cold-hearted and bloodthirsty as he was during the opening sequence. His short-fused temper gets the best of him when his boss pushes his buttons, which leads to another violent outburst that leaves carnage in his wake. From that moment on, the only time he’s not overcome by rage is when he starts to show interest in Leire, the girl he left for dead.

It is when his past, the moment he killed a mother and her daughter (unknown to him, she is still alive), collides with the present that his demeanor starts to change. Initially driven by fear, his original intention was to silence Leire by staging an accidental death. When things go awry, he brings her to his home, and his interest grows, which puts a strain on his relationship with his girlfriend.

Though the entire cast is very good in their roles, Karra Elejalde in the role of Ismael, Lio in the role of Ismael’s girlfriend, and Ana Álvarez in the role of Leire, whose performances stand out, In particular, in the cast of Ana Álvarez’s Leire, a character who does not speak and has no emotion.

From a production standpoint, there is not an area where The Dead Mother does not excel. The premise is superbly realized, the perfectly paced narrative has a few well-executed tense moments, and an exceptional finale provides closure to the events that preceded. Another strength are the neo-noir-infused visuals, which at times have a gothic vibe to them. Ultimately, The Dead Mother is a phenomenal thriller that quickly gets under your skin, and its finale lingers on in your mind.

The Dead Mother gets an exceptional release from Radiance Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer