Valentine’s Day is done and dusted, but the season of romance and love is far from over. Spanish films are known for their over-the-top romance with a story that have a habit of titillating the audience. Through My Window is no different from the first two films in the series and other films in this genre.
Marçal Forés’ Netflix film, Through My Window: Looking at You is the third movie in the romance drama series and is a continuation of Across the Sea. The last film ends with Raquel and Ares’ inevitable breakup. The third film is about Raquel awaiting the release of her book while simultaneously working in a toy shop during the holiday season in Barcelona. Raquel is also invited to the launch party of the book, which will happen on the night of New Year’s Eve. Raquel is in a relationship with Gregory at this point, while Ares is with Vera.
As a continuation of what happened in the second film, Raquel and Ares cannot stop thinking about each other but actively avoid being in the same room and do not communicate. As Raquel is set to write the next book in the series, Gregory happens to read some of the excerpts, which bother him. Meanwhile, Vera and Ares’ families are on the verge of making a business merger, and the latter is not sure if he wants to continue the relationship, which seems like a façade to him at this point. Did Gregory break up with Raquel? Will Raquel end up pining for Ares?
The story and the screenplay of the movie are cliched, as if there is no effort added to make the last film of the series interesting. The maker and the writers waste loads of time on love-making scenes between couples but barely spare a moment to make sure the story and the screenplay make sense. There is hardly any focus on the relationship between Gregory and Raquel, as the former seems to be heartbroken over Raquel’s content in her next book. If this film is an adult romance, the writing should have focused on the second part of the genre as well. The same could be said about the relationship between Vera and Ares as well.
The start of the movie is also lackluster and fails to give the narrative any depth. A viewer who is watching this film for the first time would be in no position to understand the past dynamics shared between Gregory, Raquel, Ares, and Vera. It was essential to establish Ares and Raquel’s past through the screenplay. This would help the viewers have an idea about what’s happening in the film. The titillating love-making scenes have been added just for the sake of it, and at no juncture does the narrative move forward. The movie at one juncture seems cheesier than adult because the makers and writers add several scenes that are borderline cringeworthy. The love-making scenes felt mechanical, and there was no chemistry between the couple. The direction and an engaging screenplay are responsible for creating a sizzling chemistry between actors who are paired opposite each other. In this scenario, there are back-to-back love-making scenes that serve no purpose in the screenplay.
The rivalry that is purposely created between characters is hardly explored, and these subplots were left hanging halfway through. A subplot involves Anna being livid at Raquel for the way Yoshi passed, but this anger and resentment are hardly explored. There is utter confusion about Anna’s action to hurt Raquel, and there was hardly any proper end to this subplot. Anna’s anger towards Raquel did not have any proper structure, and there needed to be clarity on why she felt the way she did towards her deceased lover’s best friend. There were hardly any scenes between Anna and Raquel to offer both closure. The makers owe it to Yoshi, who was a main character in the first two films.
Another subplot involved Artemis and Claudia, who came out in public with their relationship and were soon going to be parents. There was an entire subplot dedicated to understanding them coming from two different financial backgrounds leading up to the birth of their child. This subplot was given the right kind of buildup, but it fizzled out as Raquel and Ares’ relationship took center stage. The story about Artemis and Claudia takes a strange turn when his business tycoon father asks him to be present at the business meeting while Claudia is taken to the hospital for delivery. This was a bizarre scenario presented to paint his father as a ruthless businessman who does not care about interpersonal relationships. People are inconsiderate, but the extent to which it was showcased in this film was plain ridiculous.
The entire film was predictable. The makers could have added several layers and complexities to establish the relationship dynamics between the characters. The build-up to Raquel and Ares coming together yet again was not necessary. It only makes the viewers impatient, as the result was foreseen by them. A plot hole involved Raquel and Ares keeping their affair a secret while meeting each other at public places to indulge in displays of affection. How is it that none of their friends or partners have ever caught them? These kinds of questions linger long after the movie is over and could not be more annoying. The movie makes a mockery of love and romance, as there is hardly any screen time given to understand how Raquel and Ares have grown as two individual adults and how exactly they fit into each other’s lives.
The writing was wafer thin, as for every problem all the couples face, their only solution was to make love to sort out the matter. The story and the screenplay were able to capture how lonely children from rich families are, and there is enough screen time given to expand on this thought to justify it. We wish the screenplay and the story wouldn’t have been this cringe-worthy, which made the movie very formulaic, just like the last two films. The scenario leading up to the climax of the film is unnecessarily dramatic. It is added only to increase the runtime of the film. The movie could have been simpler if the writing and the direction focused only on the relationship dynamics and expanded on that.
The direction of the third film in the series is as abysmal as the first two. The cinematography has always been the highlight of all three movies, but it could not sustain the narrative. Apart from subpar direction and writing, the performances of the actors do not serve any purpose in the film because their characterization is messed up on the writing stage. Their performance does not add any additional aspect to the movie-watching experience. All the actors were acting as per the instructions but were not performing after understanding the depth of the characters. This was a film that no one really needed, but since the makers had to end the series, releasing it seemed like an obligation. Watch Through My Window: Looking at You if you have two hours to spare on a weekday or weekend.
