Abracadabra

Abracadabra

Year: 2017

Runtime: 96 mins

Language: Spanish

Director: Pablo Berger

Comedy

A housewife struggles with her husband after he is possessed by a ghost.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline – Abracadabra (2017)

Trace every key event in Abracadabra (2017) with our detailed, chronological timeline. Perfect for unpacking nonlinear stories, spotting hidden connections, and understanding how each scene builds toward the film’s climax. Whether you're revisiting or decoding for the first time, this timeline gives you the full picture.

1

Carlos sabotages Pepe's hypnotism act at the wedding

At the wedding reception, Carlos crashes Pepe's hypnotism act by stepping in and turning the joke into danger. He momentarily holds Pepe hostage with a knife, and the guests believe the danger is part of the act. The incident marks the beginning of his split into contrasting personalities.

Evening Wedding reception
2

Carlos begins alternating personalities after the incident

Starting the next day, Carlos slips into a loving, charismatic persona that contradicts his usual rude behavior. Carmen is surprised and briefly thrilled by the change, hoping it means a better husband and father. But the eerie undercurrent of something unknown begins to surface.

The next day Home
3

Carmen grows suspicious of the change

Carmen grows suspicious as the new persona occasionally exhibits troubling flashes and hints of danger. She senses a sinister force behind the transformation and starts to investigate. Her unease sets the stage for seeking outside help.

Weeks after the wedding Home
4

Carmen seeks help from Pepe and Dr. Fumetti

Desperate for answers, she turns to Pepe and his hypnotism teacher, Dr. Fumetti. Together they begin to examine the strange events, considering supernatural explanations. They set in motion a collaborative effort to understand Carlos's condition.

Shortly after Pepe's hypnosis studio
5

Investigation uncovers sleeping medium and spirit possession

The investigators uncover that Carlos may be a sleeping medium and that a dead man's soul forged a link with him after the failed hypnosis. They suspect the link is what causes the alternating personalities. The discovery reframes the phenomenon as a spiritual possession rather than mere mental illness.

During investigation Pepe's studio / Dr. Fumetti's clinic
6

Identification of Tito Cantero's murder-suicide linkage

They trace the spirit to Alberto 'Tito' Cantero, a dancing prodigy who murdered his mother and died by suicide in 1983. Tito's biography explains the potential motive and the intense psychic residue surrounding his death. This revelation ties the haunting to a real, tragic past.

During investigation Research room / archives
7

Club scene confirms the possession

In a club scene, Carlos dances with Carmen to Steve Miller Band's Abracadabra, displaying Tito's signature style. The performance confirms that Tito's spirit is actively inhabiting Carlos at times. The public display deepens Carmen's fear and determination to resolve the possession.

Later investigation / club scene Club
8

Séance attempt to exorcise Tito

They stage a séance with a dying old man to coax Tito to leave Carlos's body, but Tito resists, claiming to be in love with Carmen. The ritual reveals the depth of the spirit's attachment and the danger it poses. The moment elevates the moral stakes for Carmen.

During séance Séance room / dying old man's setting
9

Dr. Fumetti's destruction attempt halted

Carmen intervenes when Dr. Fumetti suggests destroying the old man to expel Tito, realizing that such an act would also kill Carlos. She chooses to halt the destructive plan and refuses to sacrifice Carlos. The decision keeps the tension high and preserves both lives in a precarious balance.

Immediately after séance Séance location
10

Tito's growing threat and the wedding danger

Time passes and Tito-possessed Carlos becomes more unstable, tormented by visions of chimpanzees. At his job as a steward, his breakdown brings him to the brink of violence in front of a wedding crowd. Carmen and Pepe must act before he harms others.

Months later Steward at a wedding venue
11

Pepe stages a mind dive to confront the two personalities

Pepe stages a hypnotism act as a ruse to lure Tito and Carmen into the depths of Carlos's mind. The duo confront their mental representations and plead for control of the body. The exercise creates a climate of moral choice for Carmen.

Climax Wedding venue
12

Carmen faces a choice in the mind space

Inside the mindscape, both personalities plead for dominance, and Carlos promises to reform if allowed to stay. Carmen, torn between love and safety, ultimately decides to act. She stabs Tito's mental representation with a symbolic knife, sending Tito's soul toward the afterlife.

Mind dive climax Carlos's mind
13

Carmen leaves to seek a new life

After waking, Carmen quietly leaves the restaurant, signaling that she intends to abandon Carlos and pursue a better life. The moment marks a decisive break from their toxic marriage. The ending suggests Carmen seeks personal freedom despite the cost.

After the confrontation Restaurant

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 15:58

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Abracadabra

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