The Coffee Table (2022) Limited Edition Blu-ray Review
Make room for The Coffee Table (aka La Mesita), a wickedly original horror from Spain, helmed by Caye Casas (KILLING GOD), who co-wrote with Cristina Borobia (RIP), which made waves (and stomachs churn) on the festival circuit and is now set for its UK debut thanks to Second Sight Films.
The film has been described as ‘An unsettling descent into absolute madness and misery (Guy at the Movies) and ‘A genre-leaping marvel… a farce… a melodrama, now a tragedy… uproariously funny until it is not at all’ (Projected Figures) and can now be experienced by British audiences as its set for a Limited Edition Blu-ray & Standard Edition Blu-ray Arrive 28 April 2025.
David Pareja (Amigo) and Estefanía de los Santos (Jaulas) give gobsmackingly brilliant performances as Jesus and María, a couple going through a tough time in their relationship following the recent arrival of their newborn son. The fiery pair are struggling with the pressures that a new baby brings, and their bickering only amplifies on a shopping trip to buy furniture that’s about to change their lives forever.
What begins as a simple disagreement over which coffee table to buy quickly descends into a shocking and tragic event that will rip their lives apart.
Billed as a comedy/horror THE COFFEE TABLE is not a film that you’ll end up remembering for much in the way of laughs. Admittedly there’s a very dark humour playfully interwoven early in the film, however once the young couple start their preparing for the arrival of dinner guests later in the day the film takes the darkest of dark turns and from then on, you won’t be, or shouldn’t be, laughing at all.
To say more about where THE COFFEE TABLE goes next would be to do you a disservice. Stay away from any spoiler-laden reviews and go in cold, as I did, and you’ll end up with an unbelievably grim viewing experience that you won’t be able to brush off or forget in a hurry afterwards, no matter how much that you may want to. Is it entertaining? Initially, as the young parents bicker over buying a coffee table, but otherwise no. Is it grim, oh yes, it’s grim, so much so that you may wonder why someone would want to make such a film aside from just being as nihilistic as they can be.
It’s one of those films that you just must see, and that’s all there is to it. You might not thank me for this recommendation, but you’ll certainly never forget that you’ve seen it. The acting from each of the film’s small cast are faultless and the build-up of tension is unbearable.
Limited Edition Blu-ray & Standard Edition Blu-ray Arrive 28 April 2025
Special Features
New audio commentary by Zoë Rose Smith and Amber T
What Scares Us the Most: a new interview with Director Caye Casas
A Sensory Journey: a new interview with Actor David Pareja
We Are All Nuts: a new interview with Actor Estefanía de los Santos
Natural Oppression: a new interview with Director of Photography Alberto Morago
Postpartum: Rebecca Sayce on The Coffee Table
Caye Casas short films: RIP and Nada S.A
Limited Edition Contents
Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Luke Headland
120-page book with new essays by Anton Bitel, Jennie Kermode, Joe Lipsett, Shelagh Rowan-Legg, Josh Slater-Williams, and Dolores Quintana plus storyboard comparisons
Six collectors’ art cards