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Ana Torrent, Miguel Picazo, Xavier Elorriaga, Fele Martínez, Eduardo Noriega ... see more see more... , Nieves Herranz , Rosa Campillo

The debut feature from Spanish wunderkind Alejandro Amenábar (Open Your Eyes, The Others), Tesis is a thriller starring Ana Torrent as Ángela Márquez, a film student who, while researching for a thesi... read more read more...s paper on violence in cinema, stumbles upon a snuff film featuring the murder of a former student at the university. Enlisting the help of classmate and violent-movie buff Chema (Fele Martínez), Angela begins an investigation into the crime that leads them to several suspects. One of them is Bosco (Eduardo Noriega), a handsome classmate to whom Angela finds herself attracted, much to the chagrin of Cheme. Tesis was the recipient of seven awards at the 1997 Goya Awards including Best Film. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Flixster Users

88% liked it

8,766 ratings

Critics

71% liked it

7 critics

R, 2 hr. 5 min.

Directed by: Alejandro Amenábar

Release Date: April 12, 1996

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DVD Release Date: November 16, 1999

Stats: 596 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (596)

  • ceWEBrity
    July 27, 2008
    ceWEBrity
    I can understand why this brought Alejandro Amenabar to a fruitful career, but I really just thought this was a serviceable, brainless thriller. The one thing that irked me most is that Angela is simply one of the dumbest horror protagonists I've ever seen. She is vacant, unresou... read morerceful and a God-awful liar. For one, she NEVER calls the police, despite being embroiled in a steadily worsening snuff film situation; she has no compelling reason not to do so. None. When confronted by people who are suspicious of her snooping around, she stutters and says "no" a lot, or just repeats what they're saying to her. She has about two good ideas through the entire course of the film and it's kind of amazing that she even pulls these off. We are led to believe that Angela is an intelligent girl, but she shows us almost none of this, making one awful decision after the other.

    Angela's indiscretions serve to highlight some flaws in the plot - again, why does no one call the police? Why are the killers keeping their video tapes in the basement of the school, and how come so many people have access to this basement when security is presumably patrolling it? And ultimately, what compels Angela to try and solve this case herself? All we know is that she has a cursory interest in (though supposed disdain for) violence, but that offers no real reason for her not to get anyone else involved.

    This is a technically strong film with a decent message, though "obsession with violence in the media" is really old-hat by now. It's a far better delivery of the theme than Funny Games, I have to say it, and I'm sure it hit harder back in 1996. I guess this aged in a way that Se7en did; sensational pictures rarely seem to last very long.
  • ebs90
    March 15, 2008
    ebs90
    Tesis is an excellent thriller about the powerful fascination that surrounds violence and death. Especially in movies.

    Angela is a visual communications student who begins to make her thesis about violence in cinema. From then on, she encounters, face to face, the rawest expre... read moression of her subject of research, closer to her than she can imagine. Angela's fascination/rejection relationship with violence implicates her in a terrible murder and the uncovering of a network of snuff filmmaking.

    The suspense in Tesis is perfectly built. Alejandro Amenabar puts everyone against Angela and makes us try to guess who is really who he says he is. The performances (Ana Torrent, the little girl from the Spirit of the Beehive, Eduardo Noriega from Open Your Eyes and Fele Martínez also from OYE and recently The Bad Education) are excellent.

    The best part is that it doesn't leave things resolved. Even after all the twists and shocks, there is something "in the air" to think about as the credits roll. When a film can entertain, frighten, and challenge you, imho, it's a good film. The public wants violence, does it need it?
  • pier007
    October 11, 2007
    pier007
    A great whodunnit about the snuff-movies myth. entertaining and suspenseful.
  • McKittrick
    September 27, 2007
    McKittrick
    This film terrified me so much! Never has a film exploited so well our fear of the dark. It literally had me looking over my shoulder I was so tense.
  • Nutterjr
    October 4, 2010
    Nutterjr
    While doing a thesis about violence, Ángela finds a snuff video where a girl which was a former student in her faculty is tortured to death. The violence is more implicit than explicit in this wonderfully directed low budget film, and shows the potential of the director that brou... read moreght us "Open your eyes", "The others" and "the sea inside"...
  • Hellshocked
    February 10, 2010
    Hellshocked
    About 1/3 of it is top notch. The rest is a very underwhelming, perfunctory done-to-death thriller.
  • John2223
    December 26, 2008
    John2223
    This is the clever debut of the spanish director Alejandro Amenabar. He did a great job writing and directing this movie.
    "Tesis" is not only a interesting horror thriller, but is also an intelligent study of people's fascination with death and the imagery of death.
    Thrilling f... read morerom the first to the last minute, and sometimes quite shocking and disturbing,
    The acting in the movie is very good, specially by the lead characters, Ana Torrent as Angela and Fele Martínez as Chema.
    A good cinematography supports the suspense and the thrilling atmosphere.
    In conclusion, this flix is disturbing, terrifying and intelligent.
  • patrickdol
    November 30, 2008
    patrickdol
    If Argento made a solid mainstream flick, with a not so great score, this is what might happen.
    This film if actually pretty great, suspenseful and really keeps you confused, paranoid, and trying to figure out exactly what the hell is gonna happen next. It's aged for sure, as it... read more's dealing with video and was made in the mid 90s, but that doesn't really hinder it too much.
    The direction is stylish enough but seems to concentrate more on tell you a straight story, and build the suspense.
    It definitely scores a hell of alot higher than a lame "edgy" american mainstream thriller.
  • leina1
    November 24, 2007
    leina1
    Perfect, just perfect. Thus began my love for Alejandro Amenabar, Eduardo Noriega y Fele Martinez.
  • sleepykiss
    July 12, 2011
    sleepykiss
    So so tame, even for a '96 flick. Eduardo Noriega has a minor part. See Amenabar's OPEN YOUR EYES & skip this.

View All Thesis (Tesis) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Joseph Proimakis
October 14, 2007
Joseph Proimakis, Movies for the Masses

mia filodoksi apopeira sholioy sti bia toy mesoy poy ypiretei [o skino8etis], ton tropo poy ayti hrisimopoieitai os opioyho skeyasma, kai etsi gia ton habale, ton symbolismo toy ergaleioy poy koybalae... Full Review

Jeremy Heilman
April 30, 2002
Jeremy Heilman, MovieMartyr.com

It only manages to be startling in passing. Full Review

Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
February 28, 2002
Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies

The thinking man's 8mm. Full Review

Alex Ramirez
August 31, 2001
Alex Ramirez, Cinenganos

Si van con su pareja, ojo con su brazo porque puede acabar maltratado con la tensión -garantizada- de la cinta. Full Review

Bryant Frazer
March 29, 2001
Bryant Frazer, Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus

Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Amenábar ('Open Your Eyes') is already in his element with this low-budget thriller debut.

Dennis Schwartz
January 1, 2000
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

The young director has an exciting way of filming and keeping one engrossed in the story... Full Review

Joe Leydon
March 26, 2009
Joe Leydon, Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Emanuel Levy
June 17, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Geoff Andrew
February 9, 2006
Geoff Andrew, Time Out

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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