Arenas Mortales

The premise of director Andres Beltran‘s “Quicksand” is the stuff of nightmares. This survivalist suspense thriller follows an estranged American couple (Carolina Gaitan, Allan Hawco) who, on the brink of divorce, travel to Bogotá, Colombia for a work conference. With a little downtime, they decide to take a hike in the rainforest despite the warnings of locals. A surprise storm causes them to become trapped in a pit of quicksand underneath the dense jungle canopy. Unable to move, their situation goes from bad to worse as they are paid a visit from a resident venomous snake. It’s a simple story that’s terrifying to think about, and the film does a good job at setting up the narrative with a drama-heavy opening half hour. This isn’t an action packed film by any means, but more of a slow burn relationship drama with the added stressor of being stranded in quicksand with limited means of avoiding a deadly snake. The story is well thought out, and Hawco and Gaitan give solid enough performances that make you believe their situation is dire. This isn’t a bad movie, but it does have its share of problems. The cinematography is dark and murky, which isn’t pleasurable to watch. It fits the bleak jungle setting, but there’s only so much viewers can enjoy about a drab palate of deep browns and drab grays. Some of the scenes are so dark that it’s difficult to see the action. The ending is excessively drawn out too, and there’s no real payoff. Although overall this is an disappointing film, it gets a lot of things right. Low budget thrillers belong to a genre that often doesn’t require particularly strong direction, acting, or a massive amount of financial backing to make an effective movie, and that’s exactly what “Quicksand” is: a passable movie with a killer story that’s simply not good enough.