Cecilia hurriedly takes her young son on a road trip to escape her abusive ex-husband. Along the way, while passing a stranded motorist and taking her eyes off the road for an extended moment, she crashes head-on into an oncoming truck driven by a mysterious older man named Enrique. Taken to a hospital, the police tell her the accident occurred three days ago and her son remains missing. Cecilia has no memory of what happened and becomes distraught, having visions of her missing son. Dr. Hernán Pastori is sympathetic to her situation and doesn’t share the inspector’s suspicions that she has something to do with his disappearance. Cecilia escapes the hospital and Pastori agrees to help her recover her memories, but nothing can prepare her for the truth of what happened that horrible night.

On the 3rd Day (aka Al Tercer Día) is a haunting film built on a solid premise wrapped inside a compelling mystery. Working from a script written by Alberto Fasce and Gonzalo Ventura, director Daniel de la Vega quickly sets up the factors contributing to the accident. We are introduced to Enrique, sent on a mission to deliver an important piece of cargo. From there we meet Cecilia and her son Martin hitting the road in the opposite direction – passing Lucia, the stranded motorist. As for the accident itself, we initially only see what Cecilia remembers and follow her as she wakes alone in an abandoned building sometime later. At the hospital, she sees Martin when she looks in the mirror or catches a glimpse in her peripheral vision, but can never reach him. Her journey kicks into high gear when Dr. Pastori takes her to see a mystic named Noriega (Osmar Núñez), who places her under hypnosis and gets more than he bargained for.

Moro Anghileri does a wonderful job as Cecilia, filling the role with a vulnerability and determination as she searches for information regarding her son. The police think she is responsible for his disappearance and her performance never fully rules out that possibility. Cecilia is aided by Dr. Pastori (Lautaro Delgado Tymruk), who is primarily concerned with her recovery, but also shielding her from her abusive ex-husband, Fernando (Diego Cremonesi), who shows up demanding answers. Pastori keeps things grounded as the mystery unfolds into increasingly ominous territory, helping both Cecilia and Inspector Ventura (Osvaldo Santoro) search for the truth. Santoro is perfectly cast in his part and bears a comical resemblance to Lee J. Cobb’s detective in The Exorcist.

By far, the most intriguing character is Enrique (Gerardo Romano), a man of many secrets on his own mission. Following the accident he finds Lucia (Verónica Intile) sprawled across the hood of his truck covered in someone else’s blood and more horrifying – his cargo is missing. Back at his house, he chains and interrogates her with a ferocity that will keep you guessing if he is more villain than hero. Romano has terrific screen presence and brings a much-needed no-bullshit gravitas to the role of a veteran warrior facing one last challenge. Enrique’s storyline runs parallel to Cecilia’s as he prepares for the arrival of something truly evil. When their lives finally collide everything becomes clear in a surprising and satisfying turn of events.

Daniel de la Vega brings a distinct visual style to the production with the help of Mariano Suárez’s gorgeous cinematography and Martín Blousson’s skillful editing. On the 3rd Day brings a refreshing take on some classic material, teasing the mystery for as long as it can before tipping its hand. Even when you know what the evil is, there is still the question of how this is going to play out. I went into this one blind and encourage you to do the same.