User reviews

I do not know how to categorize this film. A thirty something immigrant from Spain is escaping her life there after a tragic accident has killed her daughter. Her mother asks her to return home, but she decides to remain in New York City. She works odd jobs, including one as a babysitter to two spoiled brats. A Russian friend informs her of a job paying $2,000 just to attend a private party and blend in while looking pretty in a black mini skirt. If it is too good to be true, and you know the rest. She shows up at the party and it does not go well. The last 15 minutes or so are quite disturbing. There is no way to describe it without spoiling the movie and so I won't. I will warn of some brief full nudity. The acting is good and it only runs eighty minutes. NY City provides a gritty background which works well for the movie.

An undocumented immigrant in Manhattan attempts to make some quick cash when her friend invites her to get paid to beautify a party.

Drawn out as it follows her throughout the day, her multiple jobs, her landlord's threats, and one ice cream shopping trip not to be forgotten we spend more time getting her to the party than there. The anxiety builds throughout, because isn't just about the party so much as the circumstances that make the desperate decisions made there by all the women involved completely understandable.

The intimacy of the view of this woman's life is the best part of the film. People going for a straight horror/thriller film (as this was labeled when I watched it) are probably going to be a bit put off, but there is certainly the more mundane type of horror in abundance.

Can't say I loved the film (the ending feels a bit out of place and hokey in comparison to the lead-up), but given that this is Ana Asensio's first writer and director credits I have to say I am deeply impressed. This is a director that I'm going to keep an eye out for in the future.

I really liked this movie. It kept me at the edge of my seat for a while. Yes, it is slow at first, but I liked it that way because it got me to understand the main character more thoroughly . I feel you need to be a woman to really understand how terrifying the story is. I was quite surprised by the ending.

Although I am a huge fan of thriller movies and I keep myself very open minded to every type of film I decide to watch, this film, I have to say lacked a few essential components that I believe are very important when creating a movie. Personally, I do like this film and the only detail that I really care to write about and that really took away the most "points" from my rating was definitely the ending. If you've already seen the movie then you know exactly what I m referring to. There was so much buildup throughout the movie and when everything finally started to pickup or connect, there was a huge drop...as if it were meant for the audience to be left at the edge of our seats. If that's what they were going for or what was meant to happen, then I personally don't care for that type of conclusion; although it's pretty difficult to call it a conclusion at all. Also, if it were meant to leave us drawing the conclusion that a sequel were to follow, there just wasn't enough detail to insist that either. So, all in all, I liked it...but because a very smooth and well thought out ending is very important to me, personally, I had to take away quite a bit from what I rated this movie.

If you watch the last 15-20 minutes of the movie you watch it all. The rest of it just seems stretched. In the beginning there is a scene where there are many cockroaches entering through a wall. I thought it was meant to give a horror turn but it turned out to be nothing. If its just meant to be the story of hardships faced by an immigrant and what all things they sign up for then it could have meant something but tagging it under horror mystery doesn't make much sense.

Directorial debut, producer, writer and leading actress. Asensio delivers a contemporary thriller utilising desperation as its thoroughly constructed buildup to its uneasy conclusion. What I will say, for the very first time, is that I leapt up from my sofa exclaiming "Nooo no no I can't do this!" and hid behind it with fear. Whether or not the same effect will occur to you depends on what conjures up your trepidation. As I write this, my skin is tingling with anxiety...it was that powerful. An immigrant who moves to New York to chase the "big dream" rapidly discovers that the idyllic lifestyle isn't so easy to achieve, thus resorting to desperation to earn money. Asensio's stripped back simplicity allows the dialogue to remain prominent throughout. Whilst it may lack sharpness and astute vocabulary, it does remain natural. Brave long takes of conversational pieces that slowly manifest into dread. In the back of your mind, you know something is going to happen...you just don't know what. Fear of the unknown is a commanding tool, and Asensio masterfully manipulates this concept to create a memorable thriller. Purposely avoiding the cynical issue of immigration was necessary to avoid being biased, and I appreciate that. It's not so much a character piece, but more of an event perspective where we follow the character of Luciana for just one day. Much like the thematic narrative, she remains unknown to us. Whilst I do appreciate the ambiguity, crucial back story elements needed more exploration in order to enhance the emotional investment of Luciana. This becomes apparent during the unspeakable final act. Honestly, I'm surprised I didn't have nightmares or violently vomit from anxiety. Powerful, just pure visceral imagery. Acting was solid all round and the casting of unknown stars elevated the natural environment even further. Will this appeal to everyone? Not at all. A slow contemporary independent thriller that relishes in its occasional pretentiousness. But what a payoff!

Ana Asensio stars and directs in this mystery drama that tries to show the 'immigrant nightmare'. The opening shot suggesting this could be the story of any one of a large number of immigrant stories and basically, the idea behind it is good but the film fails at every other level. The acting by most of the actors wasn't convincing enough and the budget constraints can be felt. The plot is kind of a lighter version of Hostel which could've meant that we may, at last, get a good movie on the subject but alas that is not the case. The direction is kind of amateurish too, the tone never settled anywhere which makes you think they were confused how they wanted to show it. The subject is an important one which needs a better film treatment.

Most Beautiful Island was extremely well-received at Austin's SXSW Film Festival where it won Grand Jury Award for Narrative Feature. This eloquent film explores the experiences of Luciana, a recent undocumented immigrant, who has recently arrived from her home land and is just trying to get by in New York. The film focuses on a single day as she takes various odd jobs and then gets invited to work at a mysterious party where she will be extremely well-paid for a single night's work. The suspense builds towards a truly shocking and deeply disturbing climax. This film shows the truly dark side of the American Dream and the truly disturbing nature of class privilege in a society with huge gaps in class and, therefore, power and privilege.

The story is described as inspired by true events so there may be some exaggeration in the actual climax, but it is still quite powerful and leaves the audience awestruck. Ana Asensio directed, wrote and stars in this fascinating and absorbing film. It is beautiful written, filmed and acted. The tension builds towards the disturbing climax. The American Dream is not always what it seems to be and needs to be re-imagined for our current economic and political realities. I hope the film gets distributed so more people can learn to empathize with the immigrant experience which has sadly become a political punching bag in recent years.

This movie is good if you want to see beautiful natural breasts of Ana Asensio. I'd like see more nudity from her.

It was slow, didn't really build up to anything of value. All the action was off camera, so watching the fidgeting was very boring.

This is a low budget film that draws you in so you don't really notice. Not to spoil anything, but the camera work and the locations really bring out the emotions that the lead is feeling.

Or is it holder? Or who are we even talking about? And where is that island? Now I do understand people who are almost mad at the movie - not because of the title who may not mean anything to you or what to expect from this, but because of the pacing and the almost zero payoff at the end. And I say almost, because if you really think about it, it does set things into motion and it does mean something overall. Is it enough though and would you just want to see more? It is tough to please everyone anyway.

The main character here may or may not be relatable. Some may hate her outright, just for existing, just for being an illegal alien in their country. If you can leave politics aside and try to focus on the human story that is behind this all, it may be slow, but gets quite terrifying towards the end. There is one scene especially that really gets under the skin - quite literally. Crazy independent movie indeed and not everyones cup of tea

This is a drama.

One of those art piece films that takes 80 minutes to make an abstract barely existent point.

Solid. But I came for a thriller or horror film, and this dramatic motion picture is neither.

I saw this movie because of my love for horror genre and i thought why not, lets watch it. And i was disappointed as except for the last few minutes in the film, there is nothing to watch or rather i should say nothing that would keep you from being disinterested in the movie. Even in the last minutes of the film, i didn't find anything interesting or unusual horror or any thrill in it.

The story in the beginning says that it is inspired by true events, which is also incorrect as i checked the certification at the end of the film which says it is a work of fiction. Pure drama and a bit of thrill in the end. But apart from that, nothing else to look for in the movie. It would be an beautiful island but certainly not a beautiful film.

(2017) Most Beautiful Island PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER

Again, because imdb does not give users the ability to give 1/2 stars, this movie to me is like a bare pass, for it belongs to a 25 stint episode of the Twilight Zone than as a featured film. And it is better to be watched at home so that way, the viewer can view the movie with the fast forward button while playing with a remote control button at hand, part of the reason I am giving this movie a pass.

Co-produced, written, directed and starring Ana Asensio directing a no plot movie as she plays Luciana struggling to make ends meet while living in NYC, struggling in terms of making money. She has just moved there as an immigrant as she is attempting to make a new life for herself after losing a daughter. She has two jobs both are low paying jobs, one is to hand out leaflets for a fry chicken establishment, and the other one is working kind of as a babysitter. And by the time she comes back to her run down apartment she looks to have share with another former tenant, with indications of sticky notes to remind her to pay and so forth, she does decide to take a bath (this scene is key) as there's a scene where she removes duct tape, stuck onto a wall and she lets out a bunch of cockroaches into the bathwater she was bathing in without flinching. By the time she meets Olga, her co-worker for handing out leaflets to passerby's on the street for this fry chicken place, and after work making general conversation, she asks Luciana if she was wiling to take her place to make some quick cash of two thousand dollars, which consists of just standing around and posing for a group of people. And by the time Luciana manages to arrive, that it is not what she thought it was as there was a reason why immigrants like her are used.

As I said at the outset, one would need to use the fast forward button to move the movie along which can be frustrating to viewers watching it straight through as a good percentage of the movie is nothing more but showcases Luciana's money struggles, viewers so much do not need to know so much of the details. That is why I am giving this a pass which if I were to watch this at the theater, I'd clearly give this movie a thumbs down.

This is a different type of movie all together. Not a normal thriller movie of recent time. With lot of mystery it involves the misery of a Spanish immigrant and her struggling life. She suffers to meet her daily needs. She does anything to earn money.

This movie is associated with the dark side of rich people of Newyork city. Along this it also creates an interesting environment and lot of suspense about the torturing process of the rich people. All the way you are not sure what is going to happen next. What violence is going to grab her.

Ana Asensio deserve a lot of credit as she is the writer, director and the central role of the movie. First of all she has written an extraordinary script mixed with sorrow, pain,sufferings,horror and violence. Next she has directed the movie pretty well as the movie starts with the simple story of the immigrant girl but soon reaches it's pick when the original game of shadows started to flourish. And finally as an actress she has created perfect moves to draw the figure of the emotions and tears of the central role.

Some audience may find the movie a bit harsh as they may find it difficult to tolerate the cruelty of human mind arising from the darkest side of our mind. Some may find it a notorious movie as there are several near nude and seminude scenes in the film. But apart from all this it is an excellent movie of saddest aspect of the immigrant life with a lot of appeal and mystery as well as thrill in it.

Absolutely boring as hell. Rated an 18 but god knows why!! Kept waiting for something to happen. In about the last 15 minutes it gets as exciting as the film gets but even that's a stretch. I honestly wouldn't bother as nothing really actually happens.

A day in the life of an immigrant living in New York City. Luciana (Ana Asensio) works multiple dead-end jobs but still can't seem to make ends meet. Desperate for money, she agrees to work a party, despite not knowing anything about it besides the fact that she will receive $2000 when she's done.

Very slow paced movie. It's not boring, just slow. And the ending is a bit on the strange side. If it's raining or snowing and you need to pass time, watch it. Being a guy, the nudity helps :)