Play Dead

Alison wakes up bruised and disoriented in a damp, dim basement, the air heavy with the scent of concrete and copper. Bodies lie cold on the floor, turning the room into a living nightmare that shivers with a cruel energy. Realizing that escape would draw danger, she freezes and pretends to be dead as the house above trembles with a ceremony she can only imagine. Footsteps drift through the ceiling, voices descend to murmurs, and the sounds of the ritual seep through cracks like a relentless heartbeat. Time stretches as Alison weighs each breath against the risk of discovery, keeping a wary eye on a stray shard of glass and counting the moments between footsteps. Her resolve is tested as sounds from upstairs intensify.

Directed by Carlos Goitia stems from the collaboration of Gonzalo Mellid and Camilo Zaffora. Paula Brasca stars as Alison, aided by Marta Quarleri and Catalina Motto, with Damián Del Castillo in a pivotal supporting role, released in 2025; the production leans on in house tension.

Box office data for Play Dead has not been publicly disclosed, and there are no widely reported figures for its worldwide gross or domestic performance, suggesting a limited theatrical footprint worldwide.

As of now, no major awards or nominations for Play Dead are publicly listed. The film has likely toured smaller festivals or streaming releases, yet it draws attention for Paula Brasca's restrained performance and the sharp contrast between the basement's hush and the ritual above.

The film gravitates toward claustrophobic suspense and moral pressure, turning a single basement into a stage where fear, instinct, and deceit collide. Alison's choice to pretend to be dead forces viewers to question who deserves empathy and who becomes collateral in a ritual economy of power. The tension comes from what remains unseen and unspoken.