A Netflix creation, “The Chalk Line” is a psychological horror film that hits the right emotional notes and is most enjoyable. It focuses on a couple living in a high-society neighborhood who come across a young girl and try to help her one night.
However, the girl’s mysterious nature initially perplexes and gradually shocks the two, as “The Chalk Line” turns out to be more about childhood trauma and abuse against children than the supernatural horrors of an evil child. “The Chalk Line” Ignacio Tatay directed The Chalk Line, which was released on September 9, 2022. It was shot entirely in Spain, specifically in the Madrid Community.
Filming was halted due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain, but it resumed in July 2020. Pablo Molinero and Elena Anaya star in the film. Paula and her husband come across a wandering girl who is obsessed with a rumored monster who will allegedly haunt her if she crosses a chalk square drawn on the ground. Following attempts to repair their marital relationship, the couple agrees to temporarily foster care for the girl. The setting of the film is a high-class villa neighborhood.
The Chalk Line Plot
The plot revolves around Paula, played by Elena Anaya, and her husband, Simon, played by Pablo Molinero, who discovers Clara, a wandering girl. The girl is obsessed with a monster who will come to haunt her if she breaches the chalk square drawn on the ground. The couple agrees to foster the girl while they work on reconciling their relationship.
The film’s climax, however, baffled many viewers. At the end of the movie, Paula and Clara are nowhere to be found in the chamber when the police are shown collecting and documenting evidence. The film concludes with the two conversing on a video call. Clara has returned to Germany to live with her grandmother. Paula stands up with a baby bump, indicating that she is pregnant.
It contradicts the film’s central theme, which depicts Paula as a childless mother. As a result, the film transitions from bleak to optimistic at the end. Clara, the obsessed girl, is seen smiling in a loving setting.
The Chalk Line Ending Explained
When Paula arrives at Eduardo’s house, the man has already deduced that she is aware of his crimes. Both of them maintain their pretenses as Paula searches for Clara and Eduardo kidnaps the woman. He pulls her down to the basement, in which Clara is bound by a chalk line, and Paula is shackled to a pole.
Two officers arrived at Eduardo’s door as a result of the woman’s earlier call to the police, but the man did manage to elude them with some fake stories. He now wishes to make sure that the record from which Paula discovered his true identity is not found by anyone else. Paula plays smart and forces him to leave the house for a while, taking advantage of this opportunity while also attempting to enlist Clara’s assistance.
She hands the girl a few pieces of chalk, which she is now always carrying with her, and instructs her to draw her path to and from the basement door. Eduardo returns after a while and notices the girl is missing. Clara sneaks out of the basement as well as locks the door from the outside as he calls her name.
The young girl gallantly walks out and attempts to call Simon, who is speaking on the phone with the police since his partner is missing from the house. By this point, Eduardo’s wife, Maite, has noticed the girl and appears to have a brief understanding of what has been going on. She drags the girl back into the house and places her in the basement, despite the fact that she is apparently unaware of her husband’s secret life.
Maite seems to be continuously controlled by her dominating husband, and she seizes this opportunity the next morning to gain more control over Eduardo. Maite demands Eduardo release her and promises not to return, promising to keep the basement and the two captives inside it hidden from the rest of the world.
Eduardo agrees, and the two sit down for breakfast; however, their respite is brief as the police force storms into the house and arrests the two. The night earlier, when Maite was dragging Clara into the house, the girl had left chalky prints of her hands on the entrance door, and when the police searched, they quickly realized that something was wrong in Eduardo’s house.
Clara is finally safe after the two victims are rescued and taken away. Clara’s mother had gone missing from Malaga beach, and her parents had been looking for her in Germany ever since, and Clara has now been returned to them. Paula keeps in touch with the young girl via video calls while she enjoys a new life in her native land with her grandparents. This whole ordeal has also brought Paula and Simon back together, possibly closer.
What does the audience think?
This disturbing drama is well-acted, well-pieced together, and thrilling to the end. However, a few minor flaws keep The Chalk Line from being fantastic. While the film starts strong, with an eerie score, an ominous tone, and a mystery, it feels like another film takes over by the time the first big reveal occurs.
Finally, the first big reveal establishes exactly what kind of film this is, while the first half of the film purposefully leaves this question open because it adds to the mystery of the little girl. And once the second half begins, the pace quickens, and the thrills increase until the villain is eventually apprehended.
