Two former city detectives, of rather different political persuasions, professional experiences, and ambitions for the future, are sent to a depressed Spanish provincial town to investigate a seemingly benign case of recent disappearance of two problematic teenage sisters. It soon becomes clear that their case is only a tip of a truly morbid iceberg which they slowly but inexorably start uncovering. As the ugly truth reveals itself they are forced to cooperate, battle local forces and geography, which all will put their own physical and mental limits and professional dedication under severe test.
The film is very skillfully made, with every detail being inconspicuously there in service of the story, and expertly shot in the southwest of Spain. The physical terrain, like its hardened inhabitants, is unfriendly, and it appears perfect for committing and hiding hideous crimes. The disappearance of the girls happens closely before the harvest on which the welfare of the locals crucially depends, which ads urgency to the investigation. Equally important as the place of action is its timing; it is 1980, and after decades of fascist dictatorship the Spain is in the middle of a democratic transition. Franco has been dead for five years, and the new king Juan Carlos is slowly modernizing the country's political system. The younger and somewhat less experienced detective, Pedro, is slightly over-enthusiastic about the current democratic changes; indeed, his newspaper article, the existence of which is only hinted in the film, is the very reason why he is not in Madrid, but in the god-forsaken place where we find him. The other one, Juan, is more cautious, and we slowly learn that his reserve could be there because of the dark secret from his past. The two detectives are not unlike the two poles of Spain, still existing and divided as ever, which need to learn to live together for the betterment of both. Whether, and to which degree this will prove possible is the larger theme of the film.
The character of the older detective, Juan, is a memorable one, and embodies the complexities and the compromises of life under dictatorship. He is both a wounded and a violent man, who nevertheless has a gentle side, and who seems to understand and relate to local people better than his partner. He is competent, agile, and dedicated, but there is also more to him than what we at first can see. That more the viewers maybe may even sense, but I would assume will doubt for as long into the film as they can. Juan's character ambiguity is a particularly valuable and finely crafted feature of this altogether very strong film. In its ominous atmosphere and story structure it inevitably reminds one of the American TV series "True detective", except for the political and historical dimension which is there non-existent, but here is of considerable importance. Comparisons to the Korean masterpiece "Memories of murder" and the British "Red riding" may also come to mind.
The film remains faithful to its serious tone and disturbing realism until the very end, when it offers a sort of a resolution, very much in line with the compromising nature of the "transition to democracy" of the country itself.
The film is very skillfully made, with every detail being inconspicuously there in service of the story, and expertly shot in the southwest of Spain. The physical terrain, like its hardened inhabitants, is unfriendly, and it appears perfect for committing and hiding hideous crimes. The disappearance of the girls happens closely before the harvest on which the welfare of the locals crucially depends, which ads urgency to the investigation. Equally important as the place of action is its timing; it is 1980, and after decades of fascist dictatorship the Spain is in the middle of a democratic transition. Franco has been dead for five years, and the new king Juan Carlos is slowly modernizing the country's political system. The younger and somewhat less experienced detective, Pedro, is slightly over-enthusiastic about the current democratic changes; indeed, his newspaper article, the existence of which is only hinted in the film, is the very reason why he is not in Madrid, but in the god-forsaken place where we find him. The other one, Juan, is more cautious, and we slowly learn that his reserve could be there because of the dark secret from his past. The two detectives are not unlike the two poles of Spain, still existing and divided as ever, which need to learn to live together for the betterment of both. Whether, and to which degree this will prove possible is the larger theme of the film.
The character of the older detective, Juan, is a memorable one, and embodies the complexities and the compromises of life under dictatorship. He is both a wounded and a violent man, who nevertheless has a gentle side, and who seems to understand and relate to local people better than his partner. He is competent, agile, and dedicated, but there is also more to him than what we at first can see. That more the viewers maybe may even sense, but I would assume will doubt for as long into the film as they can. Juan's character ambiguity is a particularly valuable and finely crafted feature of this altogether very strong film. In its ominous atmosphere and story structure it inevitably reminds one of the American TV series "True detective", except for the political and historical dimension which is there non-existent, but here is of considerable importance. Comparisons to the Korean masterpiece "Memories of murder" and the British "Red riding" may also come to mind.
The film remains faithful to its serious tone and disturbing realism until the very end, when it offers a sort of a resolution, very much in line with the compromising nature of the "transition to democracy" of the country itself.