I just watched one of the darkest films I have ever seen, and that’s “The Coffee Table,” an unrelenting and bleak domestic drama that takes an incredibly sinister turn. This film pushes the envelope with an in-your-face 180 degree turn, and it’s one that’s absolutely not for the faint of heart.
Jesus (David Pareja) is tired of his wife Maria (Estefanía de los Santos) always calling the shots. She’s in control of everything about their lives, from the mundane dinner selection to the most important addition to their family: deciding to have a baby although her husband was opposed. With their newly born infant in tow, the couple go shopping for new furniture and after arguing over the world’s tackiest coffee table, Jesus uses the opportunity to put his foot down and insist on buying the ornate gold and glass monstrosity. Preparing for a dinner party that evening with her brother-in-law Carlos (Josep Maria Riera) and his new 18 year old girlfriend (Claudia Riera), Maria heads to the supermarket and leaves Jesus alone to tend to the baby. Once the guests arrive and his wife returns home, everything seems normal — until it doesn’t.
One moment defines the entire film, and it’s an unsettling, horrific shocker. To reveal even the slightest hint of plot would spoil the movie’s most effective surprise, but suffice it to say that it’s pitch black. You need an iron stomach for this one, but not for the reason you may think. This one demands a lot from viewers and may prove to be too unsettling and upsetting for many, so prepare yourself.
Director Caye Casas, who co-wrote the script with Cristina Borobia, blends suspense, horror, and black comedy in a dialogue-driven family drama with a body count. There are times I simultaneously gasped and laughed at this movie, and felt truly awful about getting the giggles. The sense of dread is overwhelming and proves almost too much to bear. You will be left in a state of shock.
“The Coffee Table” infuses the horrific with the mundane, be it a shopping trip to the market or a marital spat in the furniture store. The unexpected twist early in the story makes one thing abundantly clear: the couple never, ever should’ve brought the table into their home.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 