Plantel Matilde at night, principal location reference
PROA FILMS / FEATURE IN DEVELOPMENT

THE SMELL
OF BLOOD
WON'T LEAVE
MY EYES

Thriller · drama · science fiction

AI is contemporary. The question is ancient.
01

PREMISE

An investigation into art, memory and the future.

Isabella is sent to an isolated structure in the jungle to investigate, through an artificial intelligence, how art has functioned as an oracle for the future.

The investigation changes when she discovers traces of Alejandro, a predecessor connected to the same device. After an incident and a vision, Isabella becomes temporarily blind. Science, memory, art and spirituality then begin to occupy the same space.

CONTEMPORARY
MELANCHOLY
02 / DIRECTOR'S NOTE
“This film does not seek to warn about the future, but to portray a form of contemporary melancholy: that of a species beginning to forget what the real experience of its surroundings means.”

Cristian Proa intends to explore the territory between technology and the sacred, the visible and the invisible; a thriller that also works as a sensory and spiritual experience.

03

CINEMATIC LANGUAGE

Three ways of seeing.

I

OBSERVE

Distant, still, symmetrical frames. A gaze that does not judge and allows architecture, bodies and silence to be contemplated.

II

INHABIT

Close frames and subtle movement. The camera almost enters the character's skin to read a gesture, a gaze or a thought.

III

NOT SEE

Isabella's blindness displaces the image. Sound, silence, rain, electricity and wind take narrative control.

PRESENTblack & white / high contrastPASTdesaturated yellow-green
04

PLANTEL MATILDE · YUCATÁN

A location that shapes the film.

Most of the story is conceived to unfold at Plantel Matilde. Its concrete architecture, water, vegetation and open spaces turn the location into a dramatic presence: isolated, timeless and intensely physical.

05

REFERENCES

Visual and sonic constellation.

BRUEGELhumanity / collective destiny
BACONbody / violence / fragility
KUBINpremonition / darkness
TARKOVSKYtime / spirit / contemplation
LYNCHthe unseen / rupture
JAVIER MARÍNmatter / body / sacred space
ERIK SATIEsilence / suspension
OPERA + DARK AMBIENTtransformation / atmosphere

References for the film’s tone, material, time and sound.

Stone opening toward vegetation
06

PERCEPTION / SOUND

How do you film what can no longer be seen?

When Isabella temporarily loses her sight, the film changes with her.

Sound, silence, wind, rain and architecture begin to occupy the space that once belonged to the image. Blindness is not an accessory theme; it transforms the film language itself.

INDUSTRY / PRODUCTION

From the film’s world to its development.

Project status, partnerships and materials for potential collaborators.

07

PROJECT STATUS · 2026

Development and next steps.

01SCREENPLAY2026 development draftIN DEVELOPMENT
02PRIMARY LOCATIONPlantel Matilde · YucatánIDENTIFIED
03VISUAL DEVELOPMENTLocations, visual system and project materialsIN PROGRESS
04CO-PRODUCTION + FINANCINGPartners, markets and industry conversationsOPEN
08 / PARTNERSHIPS

A film open to new partnerships.

Sculpture and exterior architecture at Plantel Matilde
09

PROJECT BOOK

Project Book

A visual and narrative presentation for producers, programmers, institutions and potential partners. Industry materials are shared on request.

Fundación Cine Social
10 / DEVELOPMENT PARTNER

Fundación Cine Social

Fundación Cine Social supports narrative development, work on perception and accessibility, production preparation, and industry and circulation strategy.

NARRATIVE DEVELOPMENTPERCEPTION + ACCESSIBILITYPRODUCTIONINDUSTRY + IMPACT
Fundación Cine Social ↗