Marshland (2014)

Directed by: Alberto Rodriguez
Country: Spain

Movie Review: In Alberto Rodriguez’s crime thriller “Marshland”, a police investigation is set up in an undesirable little town of the Guadalquivir Marshes, Spain, during the busy harvesting period. The cause was a brutal double homicide of two teen sisters. The year is 1980. Agents Pedro (Raul Arevalo) and Juan (Javier Gutierrez) arrive from Madrid resolved to find the culprits of a crime that is obviously connected with other similar killings of adolescent girls in 77 and 78, in the same month of the year. The conspicuous, overwhelming displacement felt by the agents, was the main reason for them to remain united, especially taking into account their abysmal differences in personality and operation methods. Pedro is honest, direct, mostly correct in his procedures, and a meticulous observer; the kind of guy who thinks he can change the world. In opposition, Juan is sleepless, nervous, violent, and with a controversial past as a former header of Franco’s brigades. Even with precise clues (killer’s blood type and car), the case unlikely would come to a favorable conclusion without the help of some eyewitnesses, a few local smugglers, and an ‘inconvenient’ journalist. Mr. Rodriguez, who co-wrote with Rafael Cobos for the fourth time, revealed enough qualities to make me want to see what’s coming next. Less interested in taking the dangerous path of easy action, all his endeavors were directed to build mystery and set up sinister ambiances. The resolute camera work was firmly accomplished in many of the staggering passages of the film – intense chases, suspense situations, close-ups, little details, or mere landscapes. “Marshland” does better than its competitors (including Hollywood) and deserves to be seen for its compelling performances and well-cooked plot.