''The Kovak Box'' is a 2006

psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting. In terms of context and co ...

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

directed by

Daniel Monzón Daniel Monzón Jerez (born 1968) is a Spanish film writer and director. Biography He was born in Palma, Majorca in 1968. He started as a film critic, collaborating with the magazine ''Fotogramas''. He also featured alongside as reviewer in the ...

and starring

Timothy Hutton Timothy Tarquin Hutton (born August 16, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He is the youngest recipient of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, which he won at age 20 for his performance as Conrad Jarrett in ''Ordinary People ...

Lucía Jiménez Lucía Jiménez Arranz (born 21 November 1978) is a Spanish actress. She started with a David Trueba movie, ''La Buena Vida'', and she became very popular thanks to the TV series ''Al salir de clase ''Al salir de clase'' is a Spanish teen d ...

Annette Badland Annette Badland (born 26 August 1950) is an English actress known for a wide range of roles on television, radio, stage, and film. She is best known for her roles as Margaret Blaine in the BBC science fiction series ''Doctor Who'', Mrs. Glen ...

and David Kelly. The film concerns an American horror/

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

novelist who finds the plot of one of his stories unfold around him after a conference in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Synopsis

On the island city of

Palma de Mallorca Palma (; ; also known as ''Palma de Mallorca'', officially between 1983–88, 2006–08, and 2012–16) is the capital and largest city of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is situate ...

, David Norton (Hutton) promotes his latest book, ''The Kovak Box'' before a small private gathering of European fans. While nothing unusual happens, one of the audience members has a distinctive

Russian Mafia Russian organized crime or Russian mafia (, ), otherwise known as Bratva (), is a collective of various organized crime elements originating in the former Soviet Union. The initialism OPG is Organized Criminal (''prestupnaya'' in Russian) Gr ...

arm tattoo, and the hotel

concierge A concierge () is an employee of a multi-tenant building, such as a hotel or apartment building, who receives guests. The concept has been applied more generally to other hospitality settings and to personal concierges who manage the errands of ...

s are subtly condescending towards Norton, despite the writer's mannered patronage and celebrity status. Later in the evening, Norton's fiancee, Jane, receives an anonymous phone call and jumps off their hotel balcony. After Jane dies from her injuries in the hospital, Norton discovers a nearby patient, Silvia Mendez (Jiménez), did the same thing on the same night: While taking a shower, Silvia answered a call consisting only of the 1933 song ''

Gloomy Sunday "Gloomy Sunday" ( Hungarian: ''Szomorú vasárnap''), also known as the "Hungarian Suicide Song", is a popular song composed by Hungarian pianist and composer Rezső Seress and published in 1933. The original lyrics were titled "Vége a vilá ...

'' by composer

Rezső Seress Rezső Seress (Hungarian: ''Seress Rezső,'' ; 3 November 1889 – 12 January 1968) was a Hungarian pianist and composer. Some sources give his birth name as Rudolf ("Rudi") Spitzer. Biography Rezső Seress lived most of his life in povert ...

. After jumping from her window, she only remembers waking up nude under a crushed bar canopy. Silvia is a young nightclub debutante with no enemies or connections to the American couple. While Silvia recuperates in her apartment, a mysterious man attempts to stab her in the back of the neck but flees after their struggle. After the attack, Silvia reunites with Norton, who is also being pursued by unknown assailants. Norton finds that the events coincide with the plot of his latest book, which is based on a real individual: Frank Kovak (Kelly), a Hungarian doctor who was disgraced and driven to exile after his experiments were passed off as

psychological warfare Psychological warfare (PSYWAR), or the basic aspects of modern psychological operations (PsyOp), have been known by many other names or terms, including Military Information Support Operations (MISO), Psy Ops, political warfare, "Hearts and Mi ...

. Kovak used

neural implants Brain implants, often referred to as neural implants, are technological devices that connect directly to a biological subject's brain – usually placed on the surface of the brain, or attached to the brain's cortex. A common purpose of modern brai ...

and paid a network of criminals to reproduce the experiment—in which everyone takes their life (or suffers a brutal death) while the ''Gloomy Sunday'' song plays—on Norton. Ailing from a terminal

brain tumor A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and seconda ...

, Kovak has nothing to lose except Norton winning his deadly game.

Cast

as David NortonKovak Box (2006) — Filmweb
/ref> *

as Silvia Mendez * David Kelly as Frank Kovak *

Georgia Mackenzie Georgia Mackenzie (born 19 May 1973) is a British actress. Career Mackenzie's notable screen credits include Sarah Beckenham in the BBC's BAFTA nominated series '' Outlaws'', Jackie Haggar in ITV's ''Hot Money'' (since remade in Hollywood as ...

as Jane Graham (as Georgia MacKenzie) *

Gary Piquer Gary Piquer is a Spanish actor. He appeared in more than forty films since 1979. Selected filmography References External links * Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Spanish male film actors 21st-century Spanish m ...

as Jaume *

as Kathy * Isabel Abarraga as Judy * Jorge Aguado de Gabriel as Man with Umbilical Cord * Ralph Angrick as Lift Passenger * Ana Asensio as CNW Announcer * Nina Bagusat as Hostess * Keith Bartlett as Admirer * Julio Bastida as Telecinco Announcer * Jorge Bosch as Forensic * Nicholas Boulton as Consulate Employee

References

External links

* 2006 films British psychological thriller films Films about suicide Films about writers Films about organized crime 2006 psychological thriller films Films shot in Mallorca Films set in Mallorca Films shot in Madrid English-language Spanish films Spanish thriller films 2000s mystery thriller films Films scored by Roque Baños Films with screenplays by Jorge Guerricaechevarría 2000s English-language films 2000s British films 2000s Spanish films Spanish psychological thriller films {{2000s-sf-film-stub