‘Isaac’ review

Nacho (Pepe Ocio) and Denis (Iván Sánchez) were inseparable while at school together but once they left, the two no longer saw each other. After 16 years apart, the two men are brought together in an arrangement they believe to beneficial to themselves and their wives. Nacho and his wife Marta (Maria Ribera) are looking for a surrogate so they can have a child while Denis and his wife Carmen (Erika Bleda) are trying to raise the money to buy and run their own restaurant. Nacho and Marta offer Denis and Carmen the money they need in exchange for Carmen carrying and delivering their child. As the couples cautiously enter into an agreement, past feelings begin to stir threatening to change the lives of everyone.

‘Isaac’ is based on the play ‘El día que nació Isaac’ by Antonio Hernández Centeno, and directors Ángeles Hernández and David Matamoros have crafted a compelling drama that explores a variety of themes including polyamory, suppressed feelings, the realities of marriage and the unbreakable bond of friendship that begins during childhood. Through a series of flashbacks we get to understand just how close Nacho and Denis were as they grew up together, and these are teased throughout the film so as not to give everything away at once.

The initial meeting between the two couples is hostile with Carmen not sure she wants to carry someone else’s child and Marta approaching the situation in a very clinical and almost detached way. Nacho and Denis lock horns as they negotiate the terms of their agreement, often without any consultation from their wives, and the sparks soon begin to fly. For Nacho, Denis returning to his life makes his re-evaluate everything and his long-suppressed feelings for his old friend return to the surface and they may, or may not, be reciprocated.

What the film does so well is it really looks at the impact of the arrangement on all four of its lead characters. None of them is actually sure they want to go through with it but in a bid to keep everyone happy, they kind of drift along with the flow. That causes a forced friendship to develop between Marta and Carmen, while Denis and Nacho find every reason they can to spend time together. The biggest journey though is undertaken by Nacho and Pepe Ocio’s performance is incredibly nuanced as he strips away the layers and the bravado, to reveal a man who is nowhere near as sure of himself as he seems when you first meet him.

Ocio isn’t the only actor that impresses here. Iván Sánchez is believable as the single-minded Denis who will do anything to achieve his dream. His performance is a force-of-nature and he powers through every scene. Sánchez creates wonderful chemistry with both Ocio and Erika Bleda, and he manages to make a character with dubious morals actually quite likeable. Maria Ribera brings the heart, and the emotion, to the film as Nacho’s wife Marta who may be more aware of who her husband really is than she’ll admit.

I can see how ‘Isaac’ worked well as a play and this film adaptation is strong. At only 84 minutes in length, the film could have benefitted from a longer running time as the ending feels a little bit rushed. There are strands of the story that could have been explored in greater detail and I think that would have made the ending land a little stronger. That being said, ‘Isaac’ is still worthy of your time and it poses plenty of questions that you’ll be thinking about long after the film ends.

Cast: Iván Sánchez, Pepe Ocio, Erika Bleda, Maria Ribera Directors: Ángeles Hernández and David Matamoros Writers: Antonio Hernández Centeno (play), Ángeles Hernández and David Matamoros (screenplay) Certificate: Unrated Duration: 84 mins Released by: Breaking Glass Pictures Release date: 16^th November 2021