What Is The Similars About?
The premise of The Similars in 321 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In the relentless rain of an October night, a remote bus station becomes a solitary island against a storm that seems to swallow the world outside. The cramped waiting area, lit by flickering bulbs and echoing with intermittent radio reports, feels both mundane and otherworldly, as if the very air is charged with an unseen pressure. The atmosphere is thick with unease, hinting that the ordinary routine of a night shift could be the gateway to something far stranger than a delayed bus.
Ulises, a weary miner whose thoughts are consumed by a wife in labor far away, finds himself trapped in the depot, desperate for any connection to the outside. He is soon joined by Irene, a visibly pregnant woman seeking shelter; Martin, an elderly clerk who tends the station’s limited comforts; and Rosa, a quiet cleaning worker whose presence adds a subtle undercurrent of mystery. Their interactions are colored by the desperation of waiting, the anxiety of isolation, and the strange camaraderie that forms when strangers share a liminal space. Alongside them appear Alvaro, a bright‑eyed medical student, Gertrudis and her son Ignacio, whose quiet urgency suggests hidden concerns, and Roberta, an older woman whose composed demeanor masks something unsettled.
As the storm intensifies, the radio’s fragmented broadcasts speak of a phenomenon that may be global, casting a vague dread over the group. The characters, each carrying personal worries—family, duty, survival—begin to sense a subtle, unsettling shift in their surroundings. Small inconsistencies and odd repetitions start to blur the lines between who they are and what they expect, fostering an atmosphere where perception itself feels fragile.
The film thrives on this claustrophobic tension, blending psychological unease with a quiet, almost cinematic dread. The audience is invited to linger in the discomfort of the waiting room, to wonder what lies beyond the rain‑splattered glass, and to feel the creeping suspicion that the ordinary may be unraveling into something profoundly uncanny.
What Happens in The Similars?
The complete story of The Similars, from the first scene to the last, in 507 words (about 2 minutes). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 8 cast member pages.
Spoilers ahead
Ulises, Gustavo Sánchez Parra, grows frustrated as he sits in a bus depot during a massive storm while his wife gives birth nearby in Mexico City. The air is thick with dread as intermittent radio updates from Fernando Becerril reporting worsening news hint that the storm could be a worldwide phenomenon of unknown origin. Ulises tries to call the hospital through the station’s payphone, but the line keeps disconnecting. He then asks to use the elderly clerk Martin’s phone, only to learn there is no outside line.
Irene, Cassandra Ciangherotti, a pregnant woman, seeks shelter at the depot. Ulises suggests she try calling a taxi with the payphone, and when she says the taxi is on the way, the miner offers to split the fare. Irene goes to the restroom, where Rosa, Catalina Salas, a cleaning woman, insists she stay. Irene attempts to flee Rosa, but Rosa suffers a seizure.
Three more people arrive: Alvaro, Humberto Busto, Gertrudis, Carmen Beato, and Gertrudis’s son Ignacio, Santiago Torres. Hearing Irene’s cries for help, the group steps in to assist. Martin, his face bandaged, emerges from his office with a rifle and blames everything on Ulises. Ulises protests that he’s just a miner worried about his wife.
An older woman, Roberta, María Elena Olivares, also suffers an epileptic seizure identical to Rosa’s. The group disarms and ties up Martin. Alvaro grows cautious when he sees Gertrudis inject Ignacio with a hypodermic needle, and he recognizes Ignacio as a famous unsolved medical case. Then Martin reveals that his own face has morphed to resemble Ulises.
Roberta’s features begin to mirror Ulises’s, with facial hair appearing on her skin as the transformation spreads. Irene also undergoes a startling change. Alvaro tries to leave, only to find the doors locked and bulletproof.
Alvaro and Irene inspect Martin’s office and discover that photographs, statues, and posters now bear Ulises’s face. Ignacio locks Gertrudis and Martin in a back room, where Rosa has transformed and has killed herself. Ignacio shows Ulises a comic book about aliens who steal humanity’s individuality. After all have transformed, humanity’s memory is wiped, and people once again perceive themselves as individuals—unaware they have collectively lost their identity. When Gertrudis escapes, she explains that Ignacio has caused the comic book to come true.
Ignacio reveals he was preventing their departure. When the others confront him, Ignacio uses his reality-altering power to stop them. As Ulises dies, he claims not to recognize the others’ faces. In Ulises’s wallet, a picture of the original Ulises—unbearded and unlike the cloned version everyone now bears—tips the group that Ulises was the first to transform. Irene dies during childbirth, and her baby bears the cloned face. Ignacio collapses, and Roberta concludes he made contact with the aliens and, doubting their reality, allowed them to control him.
Police arrive and arrest Alvaro, blaming him for the deaths. Gertrudis and Ignacio head toward Tlatelolco, Mexico City. A final narration notes that, with few exceptions, Ignacio is the only one to remember what happened, much like the comic book.
The Similars Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
12 key events in the order they happen, from “Stormy wait at the bus depot” to “Aftermath and final memory”. 12 events name a place, across 11 locations.
- 1
Stormy wait at the bus depot
The storm rages as Ulises waits at a Mexico City bus depot while his wife is giving birth nearby. Intermittent radio updates hint that the storm could be a worldwide phenomenon of unknown origin. He struggles to reach the hospital by phone, hoping for reassurance.
When:During the massive storm Where:Mexico City, bus depot
- 2
Hospital call fails; no outside line
Ulises tries to contact the hospital using the depot payphone, but the line keeps disconnecting. He asks the elderly clerk Martin to lend him an outside line, only to learn there isn’t one. Frustration and fear mount as the delay threatens his wife’s condition.
When:Moments after the storm worsens Where:Bus depot payphone
- 3
Irene seeks shelter; Rosa’s seizure
Irene, a pregnant woman seeking shelter, is taken in by the depot crowd. Ulises offers to split a taxi fare to help her reach safety, but Rosa insists Irene stay in the restroom. Irene attempts to flee when tensions rise, but Rosa suffers a seizure, complicating everyone’s plans.
When:Shortly after Irene arrives Where:Bus depot restroom
- 4
New arrivals and rising tension
Three more people arrive—Alvaro, Humberto Busto, and Gertrudis with her son Ignacio—drawn by Irene’s cries and the depot crowd’s efforts. Martin emerges from his office with a rifle and blames everything on Ulises, presenting him as a threat. Ulises protests that he’s just a miner worried about his wife.
When:Moments after the sheltering begins Where:Bus depot foyer and office
- 5
Roberta’s seizure and restraint
An older woman named Roberta suffers an epileptic seizure identical to Rosa’s. The group disarms and ties up Martin, shifting the balance of power at the depot as fear escalates. The strangers realize they may be trapped together by increasingly dangerous circumstances.
When:Shortly after the arrivals Where:Bus depot
- 6
Ignacio’s mystery and a shocking reveal
Alvaro grows cautious when he sees Gertrudis inject Ignacio with a hypodermic needle, recognizing Ignacio as a famous unsolved medical case. Martin then reveals that his face has morphed to resemble Ulises, signaling the first signs of transformation. The group begins to suspect something extraordinary is happening.
When:Soon after the injections and the first morphs Where:Martin’s office
- 7
Transformations spread
Roberta’s features begin to mirror Ulises, with facial hair appearing on her skin as the transformation spreads. Irene also undergoes a startling change. Alvaro tries to leave, only to find the doors locked and bulletproof, trapping everyone inside.
When:Shortly after the first morphs Where:Bus depot
- 8
Evidence of altered identities
Alvaro and Irene inspect Martin’s office and discover photographs, statues, and posters now bearing Ulises’s face. Ignacio locks Gertrudis and Martin in a back room, where Rosa has transformed and killed herself. Ignacio shows Ulises a comic book about aliens who steal humanity’s individuality.
When:Midpoint Where:Martin’s office and back room
- 9
Memory wiped and new reality
After all have transformed, humanity’s memory is wiped, and people once again perceive themselves as individuals—unaware they have collectively lost their identity. Gertrudis escapes and explains that Ignacio caused the comic book to come true. The sense of reality becomes fragile as the truth is buried.
When:Post-transformation Where:Global context; bus depot vicinity
- 10
Climax: Ignacio’s control
Ignacio reveals he prevented their departure and wields reality-altering power to stop the others. Ulises dies, claiming he no longer recognizes the faces around him. A wallet photo of the original Ulises tips the group that Ulises was the first to transform.
When:Climax Where:Bus depot scene
- 11
Irene’s death and the newborn clone
Irene dies during childbirth, and her baby bears the cloned face. Ignacio collapses; Roberta suspects he contacted aliens and, doubting their reality, allowed them to control him. The grim outcome underscores the aliens’ influence over human identity.
When:Aftermath Where:Hospital; barangays surrounding bus depot
- 12
Aftermath and final memory
Police arrive and arrest Alvaro, blaming him for the deaths. Gertrudis and Ignacio head toward Tlatelolco, Mexico City, as the final narration notes that Ignacio is the only one who remembers what happened, much like the comic book. The film ends with a chilling reminder that memory can be weaponized to rewrite reality.
When:Final Where:Police station and Tlatelolco; narrative frame
Who Are the Main Characters in The Similars?
8 characters, among them Ulises — Gustavo Sánchez Parra, Irene — Cassandra Ciangherotti and Martín — Fernando Becerril: who each one is and the part they play in the story. Every profile links to the actor’s page.
- U—
Ulises — Gustavo Sánchez Parra
Played by Gustavo Sánchez Parra
A frustrated miner waiting at the depot with his wife in labor, Ulises becomes the first to display the storm-induced transformations. His fear and stubbornness drive him to protect his unborn child, while his body and identity slowly fuse with others’ as the plot unfolds.
- 😡 Frustration
- 🧭 Protective
- 🧩 Identity
-
Irene — Cassandra Ciangherotti
Played by Cassandra Ciangherotti
Pregnant and desperate for shelter, Irene seeks safety as the anomaly unfolds. Her attempts to reach safety merge with the group’s growing paranoia, and she eventually undergoes changes that test her resolve and maternal instincts.
- 🤰 Pregnant
- 😨 Fear
- 🤝 Survivor
-
Martín — Fernando Becerril
Played by Fernando Becerril
The elderly depot clerk who becomes a focal point of fear, wounds, and eventual identity swap as his face morphs to resemble Ulises. He embodies the paranoia-sparking figure who challenges the group’s cohesion.
- 🪖 Authority
- 🧠 Paranoia
- 🧬 Transformation
- R—
Rosa — Catalina Salas
Played by Catalina Salas
A cleaning woman who cares for Irene and others, Rosa experiences seizures like the others and ultimately becomes a casualty of the metamorphosis. Her presence amplifies the sense of vulnerability inside the depot.
- 🧼 Cleaning
- 😨 Fear
- 🩸 Vulnerability
- A—
Alvaro — Humberto Busto
Played by Humberto Busto
A wary survivor who tries to leave the depot and ends up entangled in the consequences of Ignacio’s plans. He is blamed and arrested as the group’s actions spiral, highlighting how fear can undermine justice.
- 🧭 Survival
- 🚔 Blame
- G—
Gertrudis — Carmen Beato
Played by Carmen Beato
A protective mother figure who becomes entangled in the group’s struggle when Ignacio’s experiments push everyone to the brink. She injects Ignacio with a hypodermic needle, revealing a willingness to take extreme action to control the situation.
- 👩👧 Family
- 🧭 Protection
- 🧬 Transformation
- I—
Ignacio — Santiago Torres
Played by Santiago Torres
The catalyst with reality-warping powers who prevents the group's departure and literally reshapes the world around them. His entanglement with the aliens and his conscious doubt set the climax’s stakes.
- 🧠 Power
- 🧩 Manipulation
- 🔮 Reality
- R—
Roberta — María Elena Olivares
Played by María Elena Olivares
An epileptic woman who mirrors Ulises as the shapeshifting threat expands. Her death and the final revelation tie memory to the group’s collective fate, and she helps expose Ignacio’s influence.
- 🩺 Health
- 🧬 Transformation
- 🧠 Memory
Where and When Is The Similars Set?
The Similars is set in Mexico City bus depot. Here is why the place matters to the story.
Where
Mexico City bus depot
A tense, crowded bus depot serves as the shelter and confinement for the characters. The storm outside isolates the building and sparks a creeping sense of dread. The utilitarian spaces—payphones, offices, loading docks—become stages for paranoia and transformation.
- 🌧️ Storm
- 🏙️ Mexico City
- 🚎 Bus depot
What Are the Themes of The Similars?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Identity Loss, Transformation and Reality Manipulation.
-
01
Identity Loss
The film shows identity eroding as faces and memories blur; the group begins to mirror Ulises and forget who they once were. Personal distinctiveness collapses into a shared guise, reshaping social roles and trust. Memory itself is treated as a mutable trait, allowing a collective self to emerge while individuals remain unaware of what they have sacrificed. This theme probes how identity is sustained by perception and social agreement.
-
02
Transformation
Bodies become vessels for an external imposition, as characters physically take on Ulises’s features. The rapid morphing unsettles alliances and reframes power dynamics within the group. The transformations challenge the line between self and other, forcing characters to question what makes someone human. The motif of change underscores the film’s sense of alien intrusion into ordinary life.
-
03
Reality Manipulation
Ignacio wields reality-altering power, manipulating what the group believes to be true. A comic book about aliens frames the threat as something that can be summoned into existence. The memory wipe and the final reminders show a fragile line between illusion and fact, leaving the survivors questioning what they witnessed. The authorities misinterpret the events, arresting Alvaro as the catalyst while Ignacio alone recalls the past.
What Kind of Film Is The Similars?
Dark in tone, with fast pacing and a moderate story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Dark
- Pacing
- Fast
- Story
- Moderate
- Intensity
- High
- Ending
- Bleak
A relentless and claustrophobic horror-thriller that traps characters in a remote bus station as they are consumed by a terrifying phenomenon, creating a deeply anxious and bleak viewing experience.
- dreadful
- claustrophobic
- anxious
- paranoid
- bleak
- ominous
- identity loss
- body horror
- psychological thriller
- alien invasion
Content notes: body horror, suicide, disturbing transformations.
Quiz
How well do you remember The Similars? Test yourself on the story.
