Oh, cruel and wretched world, who knows what kind of zombie we have befallen?
In an age where zombie films pop up like mushrooms in pink sauce, knowing immediately if you've received a package is no small thing. Gustavo Hernández's Uruguayan horror is not particularly innovative, however it inserts an original, intuitive detail. His dying infected complain of a slight anomalous disorder, never seen before, which makes them temporarily latent.
32 seconds of total blackout after each fatal attack: it does not matter whether the victim was a man or a dog, this is the time it takes for the carcasses to become healthy and ready for the enormous massacre. Another atypical choice is not to reveal what virus it is, in practice, certain facts will never be revealed.
Hernández is not too subtle, and takes little time to unveil the feverish scenario. An aerial shot shows a crowd running through the streets, screams, desperation, sirens blaring. Among these, Iris and Tata, who are mother and daughter, and must reach the skyscraper of the sports club where the woman works. The building initially seems like a place where one can feel partially safe, but that belief soon turns out to be perishable. As soon as the stronghold is breached, tension will rise, and it will not be easy to stem the frenzied invasion.
To make the situation worse, the arrival of Tata's father, one of the various moments capable of creating emotion within the film. Little Pilar Garcia does well, giving her character purity and toughness, while Paula Silva manages to move in the role of a mother ready to do anything to save her little girl. One scene in particular will be painted with tones of epochal sacrifice, but obviously, I won't reveal which one.
Summing up, Virus: 32 can be considered a discreet attempt to offer a pinch of creative flair by dealing with a topic now widely covered by adults and less. Even if it limits itself to the usual fight for life, on the run or trapped in the building on duty, hunted, scared, wondering what happened to me, and whether tomorrow will dawn, it seasons everything with an aura of fairly austere mystery. What kind of virus unleashed such pandemonium? Why on earth do the contaminated freeze for 32 straight seconds? Stuff like a madhouse, at least one clue could have been scattered, but no, this juicy secret will never be revealed...
