Tags:
Film: Void (Vacío)
Year: 2026
Director: J. Cano Larumbe
Writers: Blai Domenech and J. Cano Larumbe
Starring: María Valverde, Javier Beltrán and Tomeu Artigas
Review:
This was a short film that I was able to check out thanks to Shaimaa from London Flair PR. The short was being shown at the Cleveland Film Festival and it sounded interesting. Other than knowing that this was horror, I did come into this one blind.
Synopsis: all children are afraid of the dark. But for Félix (Tomeu Artigas), this darkness is different. It is dense, corporeal, and hides something sinister. A terrifying presence has taken up residence in his house, threatening to destroy what he loves most.
To then build on this short, we’re seeing a mother as she is making something in the kitchen. She is portrayed by María Valverde. The father, Javier Beltrán, is with their son Félix. They’re ‘sneaking’ up on her to scare her. This pulls out and we see that it is a home movie. Félix has it on while trying to sleep. He’s scared of something that is in the hall.
We then move down this, which I believe is Félix going to find what he’s hearing. He stops in front of a dark room and it scares him. What we’ll learn though is that his parents are splitting up. The father is packing and they’re bickering. It sounds like there is a concern that he’s leaving in the middle of the night without saying goodbye. He justifies it by saying that he will be over tomorrow. Félix comes in, having wet himself from a nightmare. The mother is going to clean him up. Now that he’s up, she’s more upset if he leaves without saying goodbye.
There’s more to it. He points out there is something in his father’s office. They don’t believe or even seem to notice. There is a darkness growing, the lights are flickering and we see there could be a monstrous entity in it. The question then becomes, is this real?
That is where I’ll leave my recap for this short and introducing the characters. This runs about 15 minutes long. What I’ll give credit here for the start of my thoughts is how much of this story they can develop in that short time. I love that we start with Félix watching this home movie. He’s clinging to a time when the family was happy. In the current state, he’s manifesting a monster in the darkness that is haunting his nightmares. I get the idea that this is depression and fear growing as the family unit falls apart.
There is an interesting duality to explore from here. It is showing that Félix can hear his parents bickering, even when they think that they’re far enough away from his room. There is research showing that when parents fight, especially in front of their children, that it has lasting psychological effects. It isn’t always easy; I will say that. Splitting up might be problematic in the start, but showing a healthy working relationship from there can be beneficial. We are seeing things at the start and how it is affecting Félix.
The other elements from the story to include would be the disconnect from children to adults. They don’t seem to be telling Félix what is happening. They’re so concerned with their issues that they’re ignoring what he’s seeing. Félix with his age more than likely lacks the vocabulary to express how his father leaving is affecting him. He therefore is externalizing his fear with this ‘dark entity’. Due to that isolation and fear of the ‘unseen’, he is creating this creature in the darkness. I rather enjoy what this is doing there.
The filmmaking excels at building atmosphere through cinematography and framing, progressing from a bright video to the darker bedroom, hallway, and the office, where darkness (and Félix's fear) grows. The minimal CGI for the monster's arm was acceptable. The sound design is noteworthy, especially the effective use of Félix’s perspective to hear his parents arguing, even when they are unaware.
All that is left then is the acting performances. This being a short, I think everyone is good for what is needed. I’ll bring up again that seeing the family when they’re happy is good when we transition over to the current state. Félix watching a home movie is clinging to those happier times. Valverde and Beltrán bickering while trying to hide it is good. Artigas is the true star, which is impressive due to his age. He shows good fear in front of the darkness.
In conclusion, I found this short film to be quite effective. It uses the horror genre—a child's fear of the dark—as a potent metaphor for a deep-seated emotional issue: the trauma of parental separation. In just fifteen minutes, the film delivers strong acting, especially from young Artigas, and showcases excellent technical execution in its cinematography and sound design, which together create a palpable sense of dread and isolation. Void is a sharp, impactful piece that successfully explores the psychological effects of a disintegrating family unit through a terrifying, corporeal darkness.
My Rating: 7.5 out of 10