Marshland

source: Marshland

First, I must say that I speak Spanish and that makes my experience a little different than people who watched with subtitles. What an astonishingly well-made movie. The acting is suburb, and the cinematography is nothing short of magnificent. This movie is an emotional roller coaster, containing moments of heartbreak, suspense, and relief. The Marshland is set in 1970's Spain, at the end of the fascist Franco regime. The two main characters, both detectives, appear to be polar opposites when it comes to ideology. This strain between the two protagonists adds a lot to the tone and the direction of the film. There are many unpredictable moments. There aren't many boring moments, overall the film keeps the audience engaged until the end when the suspense builds up to a satisfying finish. Excellent cinema, I'll definitely be looking forward to more great movies coming out of Spain.

The movie is very well shot, photography is awesome, but somehow, due to the good rating, I expected better. I found it impressive but also boring at times. It is a decent thriller, intentionally dark and desolate, mixed with some idiosyncrasy of the two detectives about Spanish political historical elements. Like in a stagnant swamp the events branch off into streams, being concealed. I give it seven out of ten especially for the photography, the set and the direction. It is a nice thriller, convincing but, somehow, not so great or gripping. 7/10

This was an amazing film. Though a fan of Spanish cinema, this film was still a nice surprise. Beautifully acted, beautifully shot, plus outstanding direction, and editing. The Marshland area this was shot in became almost a secondary character, as it was so full of life and atmosphere. It was used to maximum effect, and added to the creepiness and desolate feeling of the story. The two lead actors were tremendous, as were all of the supporting characters. This was a very strong story, brought to life by two lead performers who infused this movie with a lot of heart and soul. This is the kind of story Hollywood used to make, but so rarely does anymore.

Plotwise, "La Isla Minima" is nothing you haven't seen before, multiple times in fact: a TV police procedural series could have had roughly the same story. Nevertheless, the director manages, at times, to create an almost trancelike mood, especially when he uses aerial shots of the landscape, or when he isolates the hypnotic music score from all other sounds. There is also an extremely well done "subjective" car chase sequence - a car chase seen entirely through the eyes of the chaser. The two leads are strong, but none of the other characters get much in way of development. It is a good, if not an exceptional, movie, mildly recommended for fans of the genre. *** out of 4.

The two stars acted out their roles brilliantly. Fantastic cinematography and backdrops. Screenplay tight dropped the ball in the end. Blood type AB nor accounted for. Last 10 minutes abruptly finalised with the killer. What about the rich man with the soft hands and cologne? Loose ends as no explanation how or why the killings took place.

Two plain-cloth detectives sitting in the car did the surveillance, neither of them heard the young guy suddenly opened the backseat door and jumped them from behind? Were they deaf?! Then the old detective who got finale stage of prostate cancer did it again, he was knocked out from behind when he did the same surveillance. There's no way similar situations happened twice. It just felt so unlikely real. The detective who got prostate cancer would have no problem to pick up a woman at a bar and to have you-know-what one-night stand fun. Would it be possible that a guy pissing blood and had difficult to pee still could have fun like this? Still had such sexual desire? His final stage prostate cancer should have affected him and made him impotent. Well, I don't know....you tell me. The other thing that bothered me was the unseasonal and unpredictable heavy downpours. Such heavy rains would definitely ruined the wheat field badly, the wheat might rotten in the field, right? Yet it seemed to be no problem for the harvest. Spanish farmers still on strikes everywhere. Maybe the wheats growing in Spain are immune to heavy rains? During the final encounter of the two detectives, (the younger one proved to be completely disqualified as a well-trained and well-experienced, totally useless coward), the older veteran never lost his tough stubbornness and cool head, and it was him kept shooting and fighting against the murderer. Yet the scenes during the final duel, neither the murderer nor the two cops could see each other, yet the bullets could still miraculously find their targets. More absurd was when finally the murderer suddenly appeared and ran away from them, his didn't hold his rifle at his hands as a combatant should be but shouldered it; that's absolutely ridiculous! One more thing seemed to be overlooked and disregarded in the end since the movie was rapidly wrapped up: The old man with the hat, the big boss who had the young girls tastes never seemed to have some clarified answers and the case was just wrapped up abruptly. How about the semen in AB type? Did it belong to the maniac or the old man? It never explained clearly. The rush ending only shown how this movie was so weak at the ending. Also, why only the coward younger cop enjoyed the fame in the newspapers with a photo, the veteran cop who was actually solved the case never even was mentioned? I would never and could never know how a guy suffered the final stage of prostate cancer still had the sexual desires; if every time when he urinated not only just peeing blood but hurt like hell to let out urine, how could he enjoy the pleasures when he came? It'd only hurt even more, albeit being able to have erections. This is just ridiculous, man. The above-mentioned flaws simply stopped me from giving this film a higher rating. The movie, on the other hand, is quite good and seriously made and well scripted on the most part with very good camera works, some high altitude shots by the drone, all great cinematography, cool montage'. The wheat field view, the marshland, the cracking seagulls, the flamingos.....especially that single flamingo....what a nice camera work!

So many unnecessary characters and scenes in a film that runs out of steam before the finish-line. Also, it seems the director has a childish fascination with silly drone shots...Again unnecessary. This film was trying to make so many points that it ended-up making none. Watching this became tiresome after the first 15 minutes.

The similarities with the American TV series are embarrassing, I am surprised only one of the above reviews has mentioned it. The director should have put the TV series in the credits! This film sounds like a Spanish version of the first season of True Detective, as two moustached cops are investigating a bunch of murder-rapes of young women in a rice paddies area in north of Spain (Andalucía). Like in True detective season the little town is surrounded by wetlands of corruption and insanity. Even the supernatural - magic elements are copied. The story is highly predictable and conventional. The difference - beside the Country - is the period: here we are in 1980, with Spain in transition between fascism and democracy - with the characters deeply involved in the change. The director his trying is best to hide the similarities - like the use of drone shot. But even the finale remind us of the series True detective first season Enjoyable though - just like the series.

The time is the early eighties. Two detectives, a good-cop (Pedro) bad-cop (Juan) pairing, are sent to a remote region in Spain to investigate the disappearance of teenage sisters. They uncover a series of brutal murders that the tight-knit community may be complicit in. Set in a Spain slowly emerging from Franco's shadow, Marshland has a wonderfully political noir-ish tone. Opening with birds-eye shots of an other-worldy landscape, that the camera often returns to, the futility and inhumanity of the toils that take place on the ground is constantly invoked by the judicious shot choice. Pedro and Juan have personal concerns beyond the investigation. Pedro's wife is pregnant and not always trusting of him in their separation. Juan has failing health and may not be long for this world. They bring their past as well as their present: Juan was in Franco's Gestapo and may have carried out atrocities, Pedro is being punished for open criticism of the military. They deal with these issues as best they can while navigating local resistance to their investigation and their own wary sense of each other. The characters, setting, tone and pace are all compelling, and the overhead shots add wonder and mystery. There are hints of Mississippi Burning here, and also True Detective and Chinatown - a local oligarch seems amoral and ultimately goes unpunished. But the film wears these influences lightly and portrays its own authentic, self-contained world. This is a stylish thriller that comfortably meshes plot, politics and personal concerns.