Continuing the trend of films at this year’s Fantastic Fest that keep the viewer guessing and result in being pleasantly surprised, we have an entry from Adrián García Bogliano: Penumbra. Fresh off making a splash at SXSW earlier this year, this follow-up examines a day in the life of a beautiful Spanish woman who is trying to lease her apartment on the day of a solar eclipse. It takes a while to get to a really great payoff, but the build-up is worth it.

It’s a popular old saying that you catch more flies with honey, and that relates to how people should treat others so they can be treated with an equal amount of respect. Marga (Christina Brondo) isn’t one who takes this lesson very seriously, and is, in general, kind of a bitch. She’s a high-powered lawyer whose time is very valuable, and on this day she’s late for a business appointment because her realtor is late to see an apartment she’s putting on the market. When a strange man approaches her, she assumes he’s the realtor she’s been waiting for and proceeds to have one hell of a day.

The quality of the film comes from the cleverness of the script. There aren’t a ton of great performances that carry the film, and this film does take the easy way out in a visual way by accentuating the assets (read: boobs) that Christina Brondo brings to the table, but the script excels in how it builds up tension throughout the film. In between the moments that seem kind of funny are those moments where the audience will think they know what’s coming next. The ending is a good one, and more than makes up for the deliberately slow pace of the opening acts.

It isn’t mind-blowing by any means, and it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but Penumbra makes for an acceptable pass at a ‘Hitchcockian’-themed horror film filled with a couple of light-hearted moments. It’s got a clever script, a beautiful lead actress, and is certainly worth the time investment for fans of Adrián García Bogliano. He and his brother/writing partner Ramiro Garcia Bolgliano are a good representation of the genre films coming out of the country of Argentina.