Thirst falls into the eco-horror genre by presenting the idea of a small town (because taking over the world would have been very ambitious, I suppose) without the presence of the vital resource for humans: water. Although the plot seems to have the premise of a conspiracy theory found on forums, there are some interesting elements that can be rescued.

Jose (Brian Villalobos) suffers from insomnia due to what appears to be work stress. His wife, Lucy (Lori Kovacevich), is worried about him as they are both in the process of starting a family. As Jose receives more tasks at his job, his insomnia seems to worsen, leading to hallucinations and an emaciated physical appearance. But, Jose is not the only one, most of the inhabitants in the small town are suffering from insomnia. What could be causing this and how can they overcome it?

As mentioned, the plot is based on the idea of having no water available. But, to get to this point, it first decides to present its best during the first act. We have a man with insomnia because of his job, a woman going through pregnancy treatments, a woman feeding her mind with conspiracy theories, another woman who serves as a connection to the previous character, a man who is evidently the antagonist of the story, and another woman who suffers from the bad guy’s actions. All of these characters could work tremendously in a melodrama with a happy ending, but it was decided to use water as a surprise element that is mentioned during the opening sequence and slightly reflected in some scenes. For the second act, the idea we have become accustomed to is discarded for another plot that loosely revolves around the same characters. Towards the end, interest in their outcomes drains out to give volumetric space to wonder how they’re still alive and how many days have passed in the film.

In Thirst, the development of a large part of the characters, because not all of them shine par excellence, can be said to be stable by demonstrating the reactions of each one to the symptoms of their discomfort. Even the secondary characters, for the few minutes they are introduced, are well presented to the main idea of evil causing chaos in the town where it’s set. The evolution of substantial characters is quite appreciated in films like this, which present a broad timeline, in order to better understand the themes by not having other elements that visually help detect where the plot is standing or where it’s headed.

The unfortunate thing about this is that development remains stagnant until the characters understand what is affecting them, and conclude that their current symptoms will disappear– and they do. By magic, the characters stop presenting themselves for what tormented them, and now they face another problem without any profile.

Thirst brings a dry message for the care of the environment, without considering large-scale involvement of corporations and leaving in its final message all responsibility in the hands of the people who are at the end of the pyramid– might look like a bit of greenwashing, even if the message was meant to say something else.

3 OUT OF 10 “BOTTLED WATERS” SIGNS