A young woman receives a call that her estranged grandmother has just died. With a terrible snowstorm on its way to the city, she decides to visit her apartment to not only pay final respects, but to watch over the body until it can be properly transported. At first she becomes overwhelmed with guilt for all the years she spent away from her grandmother. But that guilt quickly turns to dread when the body starts moving and a mysterious presence begins to torment her. That is the plot of Rosario, the feature directorial debut of Felipe Vargas. 

 

While it sounds like a chilling premise, its execution is admittedly lukewarm. That’s not a sleight at Vargas - or star Emeraude Toubia. In fact, Toubia, who acts as an Executive Producer in addition to the titular character, could very well be the only one unscathed from this film. As Vargas keeps the technical punches coming, she takes every resulting bruise and branding willfully. In a genre overflowing with final girls, her performance in the third act alone makes the case that she deserves a seat at the table. If only the chair wasn’t so wobbly….

 

The film’s most obvious flaw is the inconsistent script from Alan Trezza. The setup is immaculate. The way in which Rosario finds herself stranded in the building is also admirable. But as quickly as it all comes together, it falls apart. Around thirty minutes into the movie, after things begin to go awry, Rosario makes the humorously human decision to leave! She locks the doors and decides to risk her life in a potential blizzard rather than dealing with whatever sinister presence is bugging her. It’s a realistic and relatable moment that so many horror fans would celebrate because other horror movies lack it. But less than a minute later, she finds herself heading back into the apartment because she gets frightened by something on the New York City subway.

 

While it is a subtle moment and acts as an insane indictment of the worst transit system in the world, all of the realism and relatability the film earns from the audience up until that moment is erased. The audience follows her back into that apartment, but they don’t want to be there for totally different reasons. 

 

Trezza’s script is filled with good ideas. However, very few are fleshed out properly. Even fewer make sense to the story. For example, if you take out the supernatural element from the story, Rosario’s experience within the apartment is still bizarre.  Sometimes she’s able to move freely from room to room. Sometimes there are people and vehicles visible from her window, despite there being a snowstorm. Sometimes the overly ominous neighbor (played by David Dastmalchian) keeps her company - before disappearing again. Somehow she’s able to make enough phone calls and internet searches to stretch the plot a little bit further. 

 

The film wants you to believe it’s dark and deep, but for every big swing, it takes several baby steps back. And, in this case, neither a director’s stellar vision or an arguable star-making performance can push Rosario back forward. Despite its vague message about the importance of promises kept, it promises to do nothing more than waste your time.