by MATTHEW HAYS

Spanish filmmaker Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s obsession with fate runs throughout his feature directorial debut, Intacto. As he tells us in a statement in the film’s press kit, he once met a woman who carried with her an airplane ticket for a flight she’d missed; she thanks her lucky stars that she missed it, as the flight went down and everyone on board was killed. It was at this moment, the director said, he was struck with the idea of Intacto.

But the very same press kit contradicts Fresnadillo. It states that he became obsessed with notions of fate and luck as a child after witnessing the worst aviation disaster in history, in which two colliding 747s left over 500 dead. Oh well - whatever the case, this man seems to have a thing for airplanes.

And his overriding fixation on fate has proven good for us, at least as filmgoers. Intacto is one of those strange entries, much like Open Your Eyes, in which the filmmaker manages to float lofty ideas without seeming pretentious or silly. Instead, the film is a moody little potboiler in which characters trade on luck and death.

The film suggests a universe in which certain people are blessed with a mysterious luck, something which makes them virtually indestructible. As well, some luck-holders can actually take others’ luck away, leaving them vulnerable and often dead. In a pseudo-X-Filesesque twist, those without the luck blessing aren’t aware of the underworld trade in luck. Max von Sydow plays a Holocaust survivor who is a kind of luck baron. He now uses his luck to run a casino, a venture that has proven very lucrative. But Sydow’s reign is challenged by Eusebio Poncela, a fellow lucker who survived a massive earthquake and has worked alongside Sydow ever since.

The strength of Intacto lies in the filmmaker’s ability to keep us guessing as to what will happen next and who will ultimately survive this cruel game of luck-swapping. An unexpected, creepy pleasure, the film will sate the appetites of those unfulfilled by the likes of Final Destination 2. :

Intacto opens Friday, Feb. 7

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