Marshland (2014)

Stunning landscapes, and dark secrets, combines into a chilling story, with believable roles. A taste of true detective, not only in the imagery, but also in the two policemen and their haunting demons, and the brutal horrid murders. -And do not fear.. When i say "True detective", i mean No 1

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.

Set in Spain's transition years from dictatorship to democracy, Alberto Rodríguez's thriller "La isla mínima" ("Marshland" in English) has a plot as murky as its location. It focuses on a pair of ideologically opposed detectives investigating murders of girls in an isolated town on the Guadalquivir Marshes. All sorts of intrigue abounds as the two try to find out what's going on.This is the first of Alberto Rodríguez's movies that I've seen, and I'm impressed. No high action or cheap shocks, just the mystery and political issues. The marshland itself, located not far from Seville, looks like brain tissue from above, but could serve as a metaphor for the gloomy world that the detectives inhabit. Not a masterpiece, but worth seeing.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this one. I knew it had had comparisons with True Detective and it was very similar in setting (desolate and expansive) and the atmosphere/relationship between the two detectives. The actors, especially Pedro (the younger detective) were perfectly cast. Pedro almost underacted, but that set a kind of thought provoking atmosphere and worked really well against Juan, the other 'old regime' detective. One thing I've wondered about since watching it is the urinary tract infection Juan seemed to be suffering with that was just one of a few threads that were never really answered and because they weren't central to the plot you didn't feel they needed to be. Great film either. There's life in Spanish cinema beyond Almodovar. Thanks God!