Adapting a novel like The crooked lines of God is not an easy task. Although the length of the book is not excessive, its intrigue, its many characters, its reflections on mental health or the fact that it is narrated from the inner voice of its protagonist, Inspector Alice Gould, make it excessively complicated to bring its story to the big screen. screen with all its implications. It already failed in the 80s with a film that had a script by the author of the work himself, Torcuato Luca de Tena, so trust in the new adaptation that Oriol Paulo, responsible for The innocent or Contratiempo, has made together with Barbara Lennie, Eduard Fernández or Loreto Mauleón also took difficult turns. However, we are talking about one of the directors who has best known how to play with thrillers and script twists in Spanish cinema over the last decade. And although it was an arduous task, I think he has once again surprised us by bringing this complex story to the cinema. But I have found surprises where I least expected them.
For those who are not familiar with The Crooked Lines of God, it is a story centered on the figure of Alice Gould, a detective who believes she has entered a psychiatric hospital to investigate a crime. However, in the center of it they will try to make her see that she is immersed in paranoia and that this mission is the result of her hallucinations, thus generating a network of psychological mystery with many surprises and twists behind it. Although, in my case, the surprising thing has not been the plot itself, which I already knew from having read the novel, but how well its director manages to condense the immensity of the story with changes that elevate its screen impact. Obviously, too many things have been left out. For example, many of the characters of the inmates of the psychiatric hospital have been eliminated, a couple of them have been condensed into one and some that in the novel are key in the framework of its protagonist have been simplified. In addition, the context of Spain in 1979 in which the story is set goes far above and the residue on mental health and the situation of the sick is practically nil. And although seen in this way it may seem that the novel has been completely destroyed, I do not think that is the case. Oriol Paulo, who also signs the script with Guillem Clua and Lara Sendim, has prioritized intrigues and script twists above everything else, just what can look the most on screen in the eyes of the viewer. In this sense, the focus of his film is focused on playing with the montage, trying to mislead the viewer and highlighting the most spectacular and surprising moments in the story, that is, what works best for a film that seeks to establish itself as a great commercial product for the general public. And of course he succeeds, because his adaptation of Luca de Tena's novel moves forward like a rocket with non-stop mysteries and twists that keep you on the edge of your seat.
Curiously, my favorite part of the novel is all the reflections it leaves on mental health, just what this movie leaves aside the most. That is why I was so surprised that the changes with respect to the book worked so well for me, although it is true that Oriol Paulo has tried to be as respectful as possible towards the original material and try to include, even if it is in the background, everything omitted from the main story. For example, many of the characters removed from the plot can be seen in the background in some scenes, and although it hurts not to see them take action, it is a welcome wink. Another detail that I loved was how it alludes to the mind of its protagonist, since, not being able to use the inner voice with which the entire novel is told (in an audiovisual adaptation it would screech excessively due to the abuse of the voice in off ) resorts to visual experiences with which to represent his mind, learn about his past and the supposed hallucinations that go through his head. Hence, the changes do not bother, because the film, which is close to three hours long with a footage of 156 minutes, makes it clear that if things are simplified or modified it is because of the urgent need to condense. And as I say, there are also changes that help generate more sense of wonder. I don't want to go into details so as not to reveal spoilers, but we see a clear case in its ending, which closes the story at a point before the book and with an unexpected resolution that opens up debate. That is to say, in a more surprising and spectacular way than what would have been an explanation to use as the book does. And it is obvious that what works on paper must do it differently on screen to make an impact, and Oriol Paulo has made it very clear to take The crooked lines of God to the cinema, thus achieving a remarkable adaptation with all the ingredients for captivate viewers looking for intrigue, surprises and pure entertainment.
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