Year: 2017
Runtime: 96 mins
Language: Spanish
Director: Nicolás Puenzo
Set in a post-apocalyptic future where water is scarce, the film follows a young couple as they attempt to escape a refugee camp in Bolivia. Driven by the hope of a better life, they embark on a perilous journey westward, toward the Pacific Ocean, amidst a devastating war that has engulfed Latin America.
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Read the complete plot breakdown of The Unseen (2017), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
Bob Langmore discovers a family curse that slowly makes him vanish from the world around him. This unwanted transformation has already driven him from the NHL, leaving him estranged from his wife Darlene and their daughter Eva. For eight years, he has hidden away as a logger, trying to slow the change with illegal drugs while clinging to the idea that ending his life might spare his loved ones from suffering. The tone is quiet and bleak, but the story keeps a steady focus on the fragile thread that holds this family together as they navigate a debt not of money, but of visibility—or rather, the terrifying absence of it.
When Darlene calls to sound the alarm about Eva’s growing disobedience and a risky plan to roam with friends instead of heading to college, Bob’s resolve wavers. He cannot bring himself to complete suicide, so he makes a dramatic choice: he quits his job, leaves town, and ends up crashing his truck in the middle of a depressive breakdown. The wreck leaves him physically broken—his ribs and body bearing the scars of his collapse—and he turns to his drug dealer Nelson for help. Nelson enlists Crisby, who meets Bob in person and proposes a grim bargain: repair the truck if Bob delivers a bear organ and transports a package from their black‑market contacts Milton and Bishop. Desperate to see Eva and Darlene again, Bob agrees to the deal, hoping the trip will also buy him a little time with his family.
Back home, Darlene has moved on in a new relationship with her girlfriend Molly, and Bob finds himself crashing on her couch. His awkward encounters with Eva reveal a delicate undercurrent of fear and confusion—Eva even questions her grandfather’s history with mental illness, a topic that weighs heavily on the family as a whole. The uneasy domestic scene contrasts with the dangerous underworld Bob has stepped into, but he clings to the plan to complete the run and then return to his loved ones.
The first leg of Bob’s mission takes him to deliver the organ to Milton and Bishop, who in turn hand him another package to fetch for Crisby. Crisby’s calls grow more insistent, pressing Bob to hurry, yet Bob resists, insisting he will return on his own time. The tension between the illegal stakes of the deal and his desire to protect Eva and Darlene heightens the neurotic strain of the narrative and keeps the audience close to Bob’s deteriorating condition.
Eva, driven by a mix of curiosity and fear, dares to enter the abandoned wing of Mountainview mental hospital with friends Amelia, Benjy, and Oggy. Inside, Amelia is horrified to learn that Eva is showing signs of turning invisible, and the teenagers flee as a security guard gives chase. They manage to escape when something unseen assaults the guard, a moment that marks Eva’s terrifying new reality. A Chinese doctor soon captures Eva, and the frantic search by Bob and Darlene spans from the hospital halls to the outside world as they scramble to locate their daughter.
At Mountainview, Bob’s forceful behavior leads to his detainment, and Dr. Amherst—who once treated Bob’s father—drops a startling revelation: Bob’s father did not commit suicide as Bob believed. Instead, he burned himself to hide his condition, and Amherst suggests that the father might still be alive, though his whereabouts are unknown. Amherst urges Bob to stay for treatment, but Bob escapes in the night, driven by a stubborn will to rescue Eva.
The truth about Eva’s condition comes into sharper focus as Bob discovers that Eva herself is turning invisible. Her interest in his father’s case has drawn her to the hospital, and the two of them eventually reunite in a dangerous chase that ends with a breakthrough: Bob tracks Eva to a Chinese grocery where she’s being held in a backroom cage and rescues her from captivity.
With Eva safe for the moment, Bob decides to return home. His body continues to fail under the relentless invisibility, so Darlene agrees to let Eva drive him back. On the road, Bob hands Milton’s package to Nelson, who is meant to deliver it to Crisby. Crisby opens the package later and finds only a bag of metal bolts—an ominous clue about how far this world has drifted from normalcy.
Eva stays with Bob for a time, and he shares his grim plan to end his life at the mill so he can at least see Eva one last time. Eva pleads against it, but Bob leaves for the mill anyway, his fate sealed by the condition that erases him from sight. Crisby arrives at the house with a shotgun, intent on attacking Eva, but Bob, now completely invisible, returns and defeats Crisby in a brutal confrontation. With Crisby dead, Bob and Eva dispose of the body for a bear to consume, a macabre symbol of the world that no longer respects boundaries.
In the aftermath, Eva announces she will go to college, and the two begin to talk honestly about what it means to live with their condition. They piece together a startling realization: the invisible presence that rescued Eva in the hospital basement was, in fact, her grandfather, who is still alive. Reassured by this eerie connection, Bob and Eva set their sights on Morningview once more, determined to find Bob’s father and to forge ahead with whatever future they can salvage together. The film closes on a note of uncertain hope, focusing on family, resilience, and the fragile bond that persists even when most of what you are becomes unseen.
Last Updated: December 13, 2025 at 08:21
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Families risk everything for a faint hope in a broken world.If you liked the desperate westward journey in The Unseen, you'll find similar movies here. These stories feature families and groups navigating perilous, broken landscapes in search of safety or a better life, often with a heavy emotional toll and a bittersweet outcome.
These narratives typically follow a linear journey structure, moving from a point of oppression or danger toward a distant goal. The conflict is twofold: against the unforgiving world itself and against other desperate survivors. The journey tests the characters' physical endurance and moral compass, often revealing profound truths about sacrifice and the human spirit.
They are grouped for their shared setting of a collapsed society, the central motif of a dangerous journey, and the heavy emotional weight of survival against overwhelming odds. The pacing is typically steady, building tension through a series of escalating challenges.
A supernatural affliction tests the bonds of a family to their breaking point.For viewers who appreciated the heavy family drama and the inherited supernatural curse in The Unseen. These films explore the anguish of a debilitating family legacy, mental illness themes, and desperate rescue missions driven by parental love.
The plot often revolves around a protagonist grappling with a dark family secret or a hereditary condition they fear passing on. This internal conflict is externalized through a high-stakes crisis, frequently involving the safety of a child. The narrative builds to a climax where the character must confront their legacy, often through a sacrifice or a dangerous mission.
These movies share a dark tone, high emotional intensity, and a central theme of a destructive family legacy. They blend realistic family drama with supernatural or psychological horror elements, creating a uniquely oppressive and tense atmosphere focused on sacrifice and desperation.
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Track the full timeline of The Unseen with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
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