Spanish crime drama Marshland is a surprise entry in the list of films of the year
IT’S only June and film critic Leigh Paatsch says a multi-award-winning crime thriller from Spain ranks as one of the best films of 2015.
Leigh Paatsch
Don't miss out on the headlines from Leigh Paatsch. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Marshland (MA15+)
Director: Alberto Rodriguez (Unit 7)
Starring: Javier Gutierrez, Raul Arevalo, Nerea Barros, Jesus Castro.
Rating: ****1/2
A mystery that will totally swamp you
WOW. Seriously, just WOW.
This multi-award-winning drama from Spain ranks as one of the best films of 2015 from a multitude of angles.
It all starts with an extraordinary principal locale: the fabled wetlands region of Andalusia, home to a series of barren, yet forbiddingly beautiful landscapes quite unlike any other.
It is here, in 1980, we follow two newly-partnered plainclothes cops investigating the disappearance of two teenage sisters.
The girls were seen getting in the wrong car late one night, and haven’t been seen since. The only clue anyone has to go on is a boyfriend they used to have in common.
This guy is a real piece of work. Not only is he the type who is reluctant to “co-operate with authorities” at the best of times, but he’s also not shy about putting a knife to the throat of those authorities if they get too particular with their line of questioning.
100 MUST-SEE MOVIES BEFORE YOU DIE
As for the two mismatched police officers working the case — one a former standover man with a bad reputation, the other recently banished from the city for being too honest — the threatening movements of the prime suspect is the least of their worries.
A masterly screenplay fuses the unworldly atmosphere of its setting with a penetrating understanding of its characters, and the radical changes sweeping Spain during the era depicted.
Then there is the superior acting (veteran Javier Gutierrez and promising newcomer Raul Arevalo are utterly mesmerising as the beleaguered cops) and sublime cinematography (this unique part of the world comes alive in unsettling ways here, particularly in night scenes).
Imagine an entire season of TV’s True Detectivecrossed with the classic Dutch chiller The Vanishing, and you’ll be somewhere near the scope of the devastating spell due to be cast here.
Highly recommended.
Originally published as Spanish crime drama Marshland is a surprise entry in the list of films of the year
A-list cast and oddball humour make for a Wes Anderson gem
Fans of oddball director Wes Anderson and his ability to attract a perfect A-list cast are in for a treat thanks to one of his very best in The Phoenician Scheme.
A-lister shines in ‘bonkers’ Aussie thriller
With an unhinged Nicolas Cage doing what he does best, Aussie thriller The Surfer will get in your head and stay there.