‘Disforia’ Brings Spanish Psychological Horror to Grimmfest

A country retreat offers no refuge from a society coming apart at the seams in Disforia, Christopher Cartagena’s claustrophobic Spanish thriller, which is set to get its UK premiere screening at Grimmfest with Fariba Sheikhan, Claudia Salas and Eloy Azorín leading the cast.

The film begins amid economic collapse and widespread looting, as married couple Esther and Tomás decide there is little left for them in the city. Taking their eight-year-old daughter Say, they head towards a country house bought during better times, intending to sell the property cheaply before escaping to France. Their plans barely survive the first night.

Esther wakes the following morning to discover that Tomás has disappeared. Then a young woman named Vera arrives at the door, apparently possessing information about her husband that convinces Esther to let her inside. From there, what was supposed to be a temporary stop becomes a 24-hour ordeal of suspicion, violence and steadily escalating terror.

Complicating matters further is Esther’s deteriorating mental state. The wider crisis has left her without medication used to treat psychotic episodes associated with a condition her psychiatrist describes as dysphoria, introducing another layer of uncertainty as she attempts to understand what has happened to Tomás and whether the stranger at the door can be trusted.

Sheikhan, whose credits include Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant and psychological thriller series Matices, stars as Esther. Élite actor Salas plays Vera, while Azorín takes the role of Tomás and Noah Casas appears as Say.

Disforia marks Cartagena’s feature directing debut. The Alicante filmmaker previously worked within the directing team on productions including J.A. Bayona’s The Impossible, before making shorts including La Carrera, Bicho and award-winning Espronceda. Cartagena co-wrote the feature with Joan-Pol Argenter and Imanol Ortiz.

The story adapts work by Spanish horror writer David Jasso, whose fiction is known for tightly wound, claustrophobic scenarios that combine realism with mounting psychological pressure. That influence is clear in a premise that begins with national crisis before narrowing its focus to one isolated house and a family whose attempt to escape the outside world only draws them into a more immediate threat.

Disforia will screen as part of Grimmfest 2026 in Manchester on Saturday 10th October at 12.20pm. Buy your tickets now from: grimmfest.com/

Disforia trailer