This is the third installment of Lisandro Alonso's trilogy: La Libertad, Los Muertos and Fantasma -- which literally translate to The Freedom, The Dead and Phantom. All three films are very original, although in my opinion, the first two take us much farther than this latest effort. Los Muertos, in particular, completely blew me away; and La Libertad is simply beautiful and unforgettable. Fantasma has its very own charm, though, and is also worth watching.
Throughout the trilogy, the director tries to do a lot with very little. Judging from the wide contrast of ratings that the three films have received on this site, the degree to which they are successful clearly depends on whom you ask. If you enjoyed either of the first two films, you're likely to find Fantasma intriguing as well (although the first two do share more similarities with each other than with this one). My guess is that anyone who didn't like either of the first two films is probably going to hate this one, as Fantasma is the one that takes minimalism to the most extreme and is therefore the most challenging one. If you haven't watched any of them yet, I'd personally suggest to leave this one for last, since it might all make more sense that way.
Without wanting too give much more away, I'll add this: La Libertad and Los Muertos take place mostly outdoors, in the wilderness, while Fantasma takes place indoors, in a concrete jungle of sorts. But the same organic quality that made the other two installments successful is present here: we continue to see people behaving instinctively, like wild animals or aimless ghosts roaming inside a large cage.
Throughout the trilogy, the director tries to do a lot with very little. Judging from the wide contrast of ratings that the three films have received on this site, the degree to which they are successful clearly depends on whom you ask. If you enjoyed either of the first two films, you're likely to find Fantasma intriguing as well (although the first two do share more similarities with each other than with this one). My guess is that anyone who didn't like either of the first two films is probably going to hate this one, as Fantasma is the one that takes minimalism to the most extreme and is therefore the most challenging one. If you haven't watched any of them yet, I'd personally suggest to leave this one for last, since it might all make more sense that way.
Without wanting too give much more away, I'll add this: La Libertad and Los Muertos take place mostly outdoors, in the wilderness, while Fantasma takes place indoors, in a concrete jungle of sorts. But the same organic quality that made the other two installments successful is present here: we continue to see people behaving instinctively, like wild animals or aimless ghosts roaming inside a large cage.