Original Title: El techo de cristal

Directed by: Eloy de la Iglesia

This review contains an Implied Kitty Carnage Warning!

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: Marta (Carmen Sevilla), an attractive housewife living in a small rural apartment house on the outskirts of Madrid, spends most of her time alone with her pet white cat, Phaedra, while her husband, Carlos (Fernando Cebrian), is away on frequent business trips. Mysterious night-time footsteps in the apartment above unnerve Marta especially as the occupier, Julia (Patty Sheppard), assures her that her husband Victor is also away on business. The fact that no-one can corroborate Julia’s story about her husband leaving town only heightens Marta’s suspicions and, increasingly convinced that Julia, aided by an unknown lover, has killed her husband, she begins to investigate.

Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): Phaedra is first seen on a red armchair, reacting as Marta accompanies her husband to the door as he departs on his latest business trip.

Alone in the apartment, Martha sits watching television with Phaedra asleep on her lap.

Hearing footsteps in the apartment above, Marta ponders aloud to Phaedra why Julia’s husband Victor is always ill.

Retiring to bed, she lies there stroking Phaedra as she listens to more footsteps above.

The next morning Marta and Phaedra are fast asleep when they are awakened by the phone ringing.

Later, Marta is washing dishes in the sink and talking to Phaedra who is sitting nearby.

Phaedra is next seen back on the red armchair as Marta expounds another theory about Victor.

Another scene of Marta in bed talking to Phaedra opens with a close-up of Phaedra’s eyes.

Then another view from above.

Another night, and Marta is still troubled by the sound of footsteps above, while Phaedra sleeps soundly beside her.

The camera then does a full 360 degree pan around the room . . .

. . . ending on a shot of Marta and Phaedra reflected in the mirror.

No context is given to the next shot of Phaedra, a random insert of her licking her lips.

Marta has started getting close to her landlord Ricardo (Dean Selmier), who lives on the premises where he also works as a sculptor, and she invites him to the apartment where he sits on the sofa drinking tea next to the sleeping Phaedra.

He picks up Phaedra and carries her to a nearby open window, lifting the cat to look her in the eye.

Implied Kitty Carnage Warning! At which point she scratches / bites him, causing him to grab her tightly around the neck. He then eyes a kennel containing two dogs and it is plain to see what he has in mind for the poor kitty.

That isn’t quite the last we see of poor Phaedra as towards the end of the film Marta is looking for Ricardo and going to the back of his studio she opens a door where she finds cameras, photographic developing equipment and a host of black and white photographs.

Some of these photographs feature Marta with Phaedra.

The cat actor was prominently displayed on posters for the film, as well as publicity shots with actress Carmen Sevilla.

Final Mewsings: Like her mythological counterpart, poor Phaedra was doomed to suffer a tragic end.

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