Years have passed since the project titled We Treat Women Very Well first appeared in the public eye, and the mind keeps returning to another favorite, a cheerful, optimistic film. In that tension lies the challenge: what exists in memory may diverge from Clara Bilbao’s original proposal. Today’s return blends the two strands: the raw energy of Evil Dead, filtered through a screenplay by Rafael Azcona, with the austere pace and starkness of The Hateful Eight, and the sharp, corrosive wit of Raymond Queneau, who authored the source material Bilbao draws from.
The challenge remains fresh: a memory persists of a film that seemed to align with the creator’s vision, yet the first impression was not as striking as the imagined version. It feels awkward to declare that a movie failed to match a personal blueprint, and that sentiment is shared by more than one observer. The work struggles to settle into a single, clear tone, wavering between momentum and a tendency toward a quiet, even dull rhythm. The material itself presses for more intensity and immediacy. In truth, adapting Queneau’s novel is a demanding enterprise: the original text plays with the era’s fixation on surface value, oscillating between seriousness and mischief, and punctuating that mix with outrageous, absurd, and risky moments, alongside political provocations and iconoclastic stances that mark the source. It is a bold combination that invites careful handling.
Given the extended development period, the project eventually found its tempo and cadence. When the piece comes together, it reveals a surprisingly wholesome, quirky, and striking work. This outcome owes much to Carmen Machi, whose magnetic, explosive presence anchors the cast. A character described as a relentless, gleefully determined figure can bend any scene to her will, delivering a performance that resonates with the vision once held. She embodies the film’s dual nature with a sly, almost gleeful, sinister smile that signals intent. Viewers should be prepared for a narrative journey that defies predictable fun, offering moments that may feel unsettling even as they entertain. The result is a film that earns its boldness, even if the experience proves uneven for some audiences before the full equilibrium is reached.