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Film: The Ucumar
Year: 2022
Director: Octavio Revol Molina
Writer: Octavio Revol Molina
Starring: Clara Kovacic, Santiago Zapata and Gastón Palermo
Review:
This was a film that I learned about thanks to Greg from Studio Dome. This film is out on BloomStream and from what I read, it sounded interesting so I requested the screener so I could do a review. What is interesting is that this is a film that did festivals back in 2022 in its home country of Argentina. In the same week, I watched another screener for a horror movie from this country. From everything I’m seeing, this is technically a wide release for 2026 as well.
Synopsis: a trio of biologists in the northern Argentine jungle are in search of evidence of the Andean bear inhabiting the area. In a bar of a nearby town, they learn about a local legend of a supposed ‘bear man’ known as the ‘Ucumar’.
We start this with the disclaimer that this is based on true events. We’re starting back in 2019 where a couple of women doing chores. They hear something and they go to check it out. Whatever it is, it terrifies them.
It then shifts to the present, 2022. We have the trio of biologists from the synopsis. There is Josefina (Clara Kovacic) and Dante (Gastón Palermo) looking at a footprint. Their third is Martín (Santiago Zapata) who is there to take pictures. When he looks at the print, it is similar to what they’re looking for but also different.
Returning to town, Josefina contacts Luisa (Hilda Quipirolo) to meet at a bar near their hotel. While Dante uses the restroom, the others grab drinks with Luisa and hear locals warn that no Andean bears exist there—only the Ucumar, Argentina's Bigfoot equivalent. Two local men share a story about a fishing trip where their friend had a terrifying encounter that left him catatonic.
As they’re going to leave, they meet Silvestre (Nicolás Obregón). He is willing to take them to where the bears are. He knows of the area where they are. When they push back about why they should trust him, he tells his story which involves him and another guy going hunting where they killed a cub of one of these. The house they brought the carcass went into a panic mood fixing what they did before its mother came looking.
They agree to have him serve as their guide. Dante doesn’t believe any of these stories. He feels it is just local lore that is used to scare children and to keep them from going out. Josefina is intrigued. Martín starts to wonder if a creature like this could exist and just avoids humans. A difference with this cryptid, it is supposed to bring bad luck. During the drive, Silvestre gives a book to Martín that explains more of the lore. Once they arrive and start to search, tensions rise when Silvestre can’t deliver immediately. They're in for an expedition though that they’ll never forget.
That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is that I do roll my eyes whenever I see a movie starting with ‘Based on True Events’. I was forgiving when I saw what they mean here so there is that. This feels like writer/director Octavio Revol Molina is taking tales that were heard growing up or came across to help create the back-story for the movie that we see play out. I do give credit there and the disclaimer makes sense, since it is giving credit to those who did experience things that they cannot explain. It isn’t an issue for me.
Now I do have to bring up a negative here. This does play more like an anthology film. We get numerous flashbacks to fill in the back-story. I do like the idea of showing, not telling. The problem though is that there isn’t much of a story for the trio plus Silvestre, outside of something that happens right at the credits. Then there’s a stinger of a reveal. I do believe that there’s even a flashback to pre-historic time that is in the middle of a flashback. I appreciate wanting to tell these stories, but I think there might be a better way of working them in.
What I will say though is that I love introducing the lore of the Ucumar. I’ve seen numerous documentaries about different variations of Bigfoot from parts of the United States. The Yeti, being another form that is supposed to haunt the Himalayas, also is something I’m intrigued by. I do like how this gives the origins that the Ucumar was created by an Incan god as a punishment. That is something I wanted to give credit to.
Then other themes to include would be folklore vs. empirical science. The team is there to confirm if the Andean bear is in the area. They learn about the Ucumar and, being biologists, want to see if they can find it. I do like that the story is told by oral storytelling, which is the origins of myths. You could also see this as nature’s territorial revenge. The team is told not to go into the jungle, but they don’t listen.
Then moving to the acting performances. I thought that the team we follow was good. Kovacic seems like the leader but she does disappear. It isn’t until the climax that she moves back into being the focal. Zapata is good as our inquisitive guy in the team. He goes off to take pictures of birds. He’s also the one who gets sucked into learning about the legend of the Ucumar. Palermo is good as the skeptic of the group. I like that Obregón is the local who believes and acts as their guide. Other than that, Quipirolo and the rest of the cast rounded this out for what was needed.
Now to finish out with the filmmaking aspects. I’ve laid out my gripes with the editing and how they present the story. The cinematography and framing were solid. I have a feeling that they aren’t as far out in nature as they want the audience to believe since they use more of a tight focus. There are times though where they capture landscapes that aren’t forgiving. The effects are limited, but what we got was good. I love what they did for the design of the Ucumar. That was solid. Other than that, the sound design and music fit the atmosphere.
In conclusion, this offers an intriguing dive into Argentine Bigfoot lore, elevated by solid performances from Kovacic, Zapata and Palermo, as well as an impressively executed creature design. However, its overall impact is somewhat hindered by a disjointed, anthology-style structure that relies too heavily on flashbacks. Ultimately, while the storytelling choices may frustrate viewers seeking a straightforward narrative, the film remains a unique and engaging watch for cryptid horror enthusiasts.
My Rating: 6 out of 10