'Ellipsis,' an intimate murder mystery movie from Spain, arrives in Israel

If you liked Knives Out and its sequel, Glass Onion, then Ellipsis may be the movie for you.

Ellipsis, a new Spanish movie that opened throughout Israel on Thursday, is an intimate and intricate murder mystery with a small cast that has echoes of such classics of this genre as Sleuth and Deathtrap.

Those who enjoy cerebral, character-driven stories will find Ellipsis enjoyable, although at times, its long, talky scenes can get tedious.

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There are so many twists in the film’s 90-minute running time that it’s difficult to discuss even the basics without giving away major spoilers.

It’s told in a non-linear way that adds to the suspense, with each section labeled with a different chapter heading, but which are presented out of order.

What I can report is that the film focuses on Leo Valdivia (Diego Peretti), a rumpled, bearded recluse who is typing away at his latest mystery novel on a remote estate in rural Spain.

Actor Diego Peretti attends the 'Puntos Suspensivos' photocall at the Urso Hotel in Madrid, Spain, September 17, 2024. (credit: Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images)

While millions around the world enjoy his books, no one knows his face or his real name, as he writes under the pseudonym Cameron Graves. He’s no longer in good health, popping pills for a heart condition, but seems content in his solitude.

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He was married to his literary agent, Victoria (Ceclila Suarez), when he was a creative writing professor, but they split up due to his tendency to have affairs with his female students. They have managed to remain good friends and business partners, though.

A ringing doorbell calls Leo away from his work and he is annoyed to find a man at his gate, Jota (Jose Coronado). He assumes Jota is a journalist, who has discovered that he is the man behind Cameron Graves and who is threatening to unmask him.

Leo is flummoxed, but agrees to a strange deal: that he will consent to an interview about his latest book and in return, Jota won’t reveal his identity and will protect his privacy.

But Leo can’t figure out how this stranger knows the location of his home and seems to know everything else about him, including his relationship with his ex-wife.

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It’s a good setup and at first the thrust-and-parry parlor game is interesting. But then it turns into a very different story, one that has echoes of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope, without the brilliance or the light-handed touch of the master.

Still, it is clever and each new chapter manages to upend much of what you thought was true about each of the characters.

Diego Peretti has a shaggy charm in the central role of Leo and is convincing as a self-involved author who both treasures his solitude and longs for recognition.

Who is Diego Peretti, the movie's lead actor?

Peretti is Argentinean and was a psychiatrist before he got into acting. He has reportedly gravitated to roles that have some connection to his first profession, and you can get a glimpse of what he must have been like as a doctor in the opening sequence of Ellipsis.

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He won the Argentinean equivalent of an Emmy for his role as the psychologist in En terapia, the local adaptation of the Israeli series, BeTipul, which is the same role that Assi Dayan played in the original and Gabriel Byrne played in the American adaptation, In Treatment.

The rest of the small cast is also very good, although most of the movie is a duel of wits between the two leads. This is the kind of murder mystery that has no real scares and only a little gore; the kind of entertainment that is a bit remote from anyone’s real life and which many find all the more enjoyable because of it.

If you liked Knives Out and its sequel, Glass Onion, then Ellipsis may be the movie for you. Although it has a much smaller cast, it’s the same kind of clever entertainment that keeps you guessing until the end.