In a nutshell, Covadonga is a short film stretched beyond its limits into a feature. For the most part, I’m on board with the story, but the pacing is off kilter, and there’s a whole lot of unnecessary padding that bogs down an interesting concept. It could have been one hell of a gripping short, but instead, it’s thin, with no wind in its sails and its bite muzzled. There are pros, but these simple cons are a downer.
It takes a little while for the story to unfold, but we slowly learn that Martin – the singing, wood chopping, house cleaning, canoeing widow – lives alone in a secluded lake house. One night, a drunken couple wanders onto his property, steals a canoe and drifts off into the darkness. Only the man returns. I’ll leave it there, but suffice to say, it’s clear Martin is unhinged.
The reason for his mental break is mentioned but never explored. His behavior is meant to be menacing or sinister, but unfortunately, it doesn’t come off that way. In one scene, what’s meant to be a menacing and sinister discourse (ala Samuel L. Jackson’s Ezekiel 25:17, perhaps), he delivers a long-winded speech about Christians fending off a Moorish attack at the caves of Covadonga, Spain. It’s an interesting history but bears no weight whatsoever on the film that I was able to discern. That it’s the origin of the title, I would assume the scene would carry some weight, but it doesn’t.
I’ll put it like this: I like Martin (and the actor, Sean Hartofilis, who also directs and writes), but I don’t buy his insanity. There’s so much extra fluff to pad the running time that we never really delve into his mind to see what really makes him tick. His desire for justice and righteous punishment are old movie standbys (which I’m fine with), but there’s no “oomph” to it, as my grandmother would say. We spend an excessive amount of time watching him singing and playing guitar but not enough time watching him be crazy. Instead, he’s more of an eccentric recluse who likes to write songs (which are catchy, by the way). We need more Jack Torrance and less Clancy Brothers.
As I said, I like Hartofilis. He’s got an interesting perspective and some talent. With a killer script and a decent budget, I think he could make something very compelling. If Covadonga is his try-out, I hope he made the team. And I hope someone with some money puts him in the game sometime soon.
James is a writer, record collector, wrestling nerd, and tabletop gamer living with his family in Asheville, North Carolina. He is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the North Carolina Film Critics Association, and contributes to The Daily Orca, Razorcake Magazine, Mountain Xpress, and Asheville Movies.