• Release year: 2025
• Director: Javier Polo Gandía.
• Producers: Borja Aracil, Juan Bernardo González, Jorge Hernandez Aldana, Frank Lucas, Javier Polo Gandía, Guillermo Polo, Gerard Rodriguez, Cristina Velasco.
• Screenplay by: Guillermo Guerrero, Enric Pardo, and David Pascual.
• Cinematography by: Beatriz Sastre.

Shotgun Commentary: an ingenious anthology with enchanting photography.

Review

Pet Peeves (original title: Pequeños Calvarios, which is more like Little Tortures/Agonies) is an anthology of bittersweet tales where fate disrupts someone’s life, changing it forever. This Spanish/Mexican film is not only a great watch textually but visually, an incredible experience for all those of you who enjoy great cinema and a good laugh.

Context

The story is divided in five segments, the last of which is actually the nexus between all of them. Don’t worry, that’s not a spoiler. This last segment follows a clockmaker, Carlo (Pablo Molinero), who likes to listen to a very specific radio programme while he works. In this programme, the broadcaster listens to his caller’s tragedies and tries to offer some advice.

With each call, the clockmaker fixes a watch, imagining that he’s fixing the caller’s soul. Does that make sense? No? Good. It doesn’t have to, and you can think about this character however you want. That’s the beauty of Carlo. Is he a moral punisher? Karma? Maybe just an evil being who likes to mess around leprechaun style, but with clocks? This matter is completely open to interpretation and speculation, making the five stories all the more unpredictable.

Cheeky narratives

The first story follows Paola (Andrea Duro), a woman who is being completely ignored by her boyfriend Pisco (Rubén Bernal). This is not a crazy unique story at first glance, but the plot thickens soon enough. Her boyfriend is obsessed with their dog, to hilarious, albeit disturbing, extremes, which turns a seemingly average story into a captivating experience.

A narrative that is further improved by Duro’s performance. As a long-time fan of Duro’s, it is a delight to have seen this wonderful actress grow into the professional she currently is. The intensity of her performance as Paola in what is a very ridiculous situation is absolutely striking. Not to mention her final shot in the narrative. Peak tragicomedy.

As for the rest of the stories, they each have their own special quality, making them completely different from each other. A personal favourite would be the second story due to the dynamism of the dialogues. The back and forth between five friends reuniting for a meal is both engrossing and hilarious. The absurdity of the situation and how each character reacts to the others is, once again, average at first sight, but deliciously warped the more you dive into the narrative.

As for the third and fourth stories, they tap into a very taboo desire for people to admit: the pleasure one has being alone. There is nothing more universal than the visceral hatred one can feel for a neighbour if they are annoying enough. This situation is presented in two very different ways throughout these stories, making them the most suffocating moments of the whole feature.

A chromatic journey

You will notice from the very beginning that colour palettes are a big thing in this piece. The predominantly brown colour palettes of the clockmaker’s story disguise this intention at first, but during the dog’s story it becomes clear. Primary colours dominate the screen during this tale, separating the story just enough from reality to have that otherworldly vibe that says things are not quite right.

The second story, also an absolute masterpiece, has bold, bright tones yelling at you from the screen. Fuchsias, greens, yellows and one pattern you won’t be able to take your eyes off of, blend characters with their environment while keeping the perfectly highlighted at the same time. The same concept is repeated for the remaining two stories, both with their own unique look to remind you quietly that this is not real life. That there is something clearly wrong with it, even if you can’t put your finger on it.

All in all, Pet Peeves is the kind of film that makes you go for the looks and stay for the substance. The performances are incredible, the production design, spot-on, and the narrative will grab your attention and won’t let go until well into the end credits. Huge recommend for anyone who has the chance to check it out.

You can watch Pet Peeves now in London thanks to Raindance Film Festival. Screeners the 20th of June at 18:15 and the 21st of June at 12:45. Find all the info and tickets here!

Advice to take from this movie:

• If a relationship isn’t working, don’t wait for a miracle to fix. Leave.
• It’s okay to be happy, just not sanctimonious about it.
• Never let being polite get in the way of being safe.

What’s your take? Have you watched Pet Peeves? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀