Under Her Control (2022)

Under Her Control is the kind of slick, provocative drama that grabs a familiar workplace fear—how pregnancy can upend a woman’s future—and twists it into something darkly entertaining and uncomfortably plausible. Fran Torres keeps the vibe glossy and intimate, letting the sunlit luxury of Beatriz’s world feel like a velvet-lined trap, while the film’s playful, exploitation-tinged edge makes every “kind” gesture land with a chill. The real hook is the central duel: Cumelén Sanz brings raw, anxious resolve to Sofía, and Aitana Sánchez-Gijón is mesmerizing as a boss whose generosity curdles into obsession, dominating scenes with a smile you can’t quite trust. It’s not for viewers who avoid sexual content or bursts of violence, but if you like tense power games and performances that sharpen the knife slowly, this one is hard to shake.

Under Her Control wants to be a sleek, modern cautionary tale about power, motherhood, and how “help” can turn into ownership, and you can feel the film aiming for that slow-burn dread. The problem is the screenplay keeps shoving the story into contrived turns that make the tension feel manufactured, and a lot of the big beats are telegraphed early enough that you’re waiting for the movie to catch up. Performances and the glossy, claustrophobic setup do give it some bite, but if you need believable character choices and surprises to stay invested, this will likely test your patience. Also, be aware it goes to some dark places with sexual content, coercion, and violence, so it’s not a casual drama-night pick.