The Chalk Line is a 2022 Spanish psychological thriller film directed by Ignacio Tatay in his feature debut. It stars Elena Anaya as Paula, a woman struggling with infertility who finds a young girl named Clara wandering alone on a road one night.
1. Plot Summary of The Chalk Line (Jaula)
The film opens with Paula and her husband Simon driving home from a dinner party. They come across Clara standing in the middle of the road, seemingly in a daze. Simon slams on the brakes just as a motorcycle nearly hits Clara. They rush her to the hospital, where doctors determine she is physically fine but exhibits strange psychological behaviors. With no records of her identity, Paula and Simon agree to temporarily foster Clara in their home.
Clara refuses to leave a square drawn in chalk on the floor, believing a monster will take her if she crosses the line. She also does not speak. Paula bonds with Clara, but Simon grows frustrated with her odd behaviors. Mysterious events start occurring – shards of glass appear in their food, Clara disappears briefly, and Paula finds clues suggesting Clara had a traumatic past.
Eventually, Paula puts the pieces together – Clara is the daughter of a German woman named Ingrid who went missing years ago. Ingrid was kidnapped and held captive by their neighbor Eduardo, who sexually abused and impregnated her. Ingrid later died, while Clara remained trapped.
2. The Chalk Line Ending Explained
When Paula confronts Eduardo, he attacks her. Eduardo imprisons Paula in his basement, where Clara is also being held captive inside a chalk square. With Paula’s guidance, Clara manages to escape the house and leave chalky handprints on the front door. The police raid Eduardo’s home and arrest him.
The ending shows Paula and Clara safe, no longer in the home. Clara returns to Germany to live with her grandmother. Paula, who is now pregnant, keeps in touch with Clara via video chat. The film concludes on an optimistic note, with the two survivors moving forward after their harrowing ordeal.
3. What Does Buma Mean in the Chalk Line?
“buma” refers to the German word “buhman”, which means “boogeyman”. In the movie The Chalk Line, the young girl Clara yells “buma” when she is forced out of her chalk box in the hospital. This is her way of referring to the villain Eduardo as the “boogeyman” – someone she fears greatly.
Eduardo had kept Clara and her mother Ingrid captive in his basement for years, sexually abusing Ingrid and traumatizing Clara. To Clara, Eduardo was an evil, scary figure that she needed to obey or else face punishment.
So “buma” is Clara’s frightened cry for the boogeyman, Eduardo. The word first confuses Paula and Simon when they hear Clara yell it. But later, Paula is able to piece together its meaning by trying different spellings until she lands on the German word “buhman”. This helps Paula unravel Clara’s dark history being held prisoner by the boogeyman Eduardo.
4. Is The Chalk Line in English?
The Chalk Line (original Spanish title: Jaula) is a 2022 Spanish-language psychological thriller film. The film was shot in Spanish (specifically European Spanish from Spain). This is referred to as “Spanish; Castilian” in some of the search results.
There are no English dubs or subtitles available. The only language options are Spanish audio with Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese, etc. subtitles. The lead actress Elena Anaya is a native Spanish speaker, as is most of the cast.
Reviews praise the performances but note there are no options for non-Spanish speakers to watch it without subtitles.
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The Chalk Line has received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 67% critics approval rating.
Overall though, fans of psychological thrillers tend to agree that while imperfect, The Chalk Line is a well-made, suspenseful film carried by Anaya’s standout performance. It tackles weighty themes in an effectively haunting manner.
