Gabriel S
La Isla Mínima (Marshland, in the English version,) is a solid Spanish crime mystery that came out as a pleasant surprise out of some digging, I did for good investigation flicks. It's not a perfect film, but it stands out as thrilling.
I can't get over the fact that, in Brazil, the translated title is something like "Old Sins, Long Shadows". For real! What were the translators thinking?
Anyway, the story of Marshland follows detectives Pedro Suáres and Juan Robles in their investigation of the disappearance of two teen girls. In good drama fashion, we are in for some heavy stuff in this movie.
Pedro Suáres is a quite new investigator reassigned to work on this case on a remote little town with his fairly new partner Juan. Pedro is hot-tempered, but he has a good heart, and also a pretty big mouth, that's what got him into this unpleasant assignment.
Juan is a mix of a nice guy with a shadowy past. This fact adds to the drama of the story while Pedro suspects Juan might not be as nice as it seems.
One downside of this movie's story is that the elements of the investigation are a bit absent. Sometimes, Juan gets info offscreen, which feels disjointed to the overall plot.
Also, some symbolism with Juan and birds is one that I didn't get it. Beat me.
Also, one situation with Juan at the bathroom just comes and goes. Seems like it would become something that could affect the story, but, in the end, it's dismissible, you could take out that scene and the story would remain unaffected.
Aside from these downsides, La Isla Mínima is solid on the crime and drama aspects. Slow-driven, the story progresses towards the climax at, you guessed it, La Isla Mínima, the marshland, not before we figure out what is going on.
The final revelation is uneventful, but the solid aspect is the whole drama behind it. Missed potential, at its best.
Overall, La Isla Mínima pleases by its heavy drama elements and solid thriller progression. It's flawed, but the story is good enough to entertain during its runtime.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
04/24/24
Full Review
Jerod S
It's a murder mystery (a ring of girls being exploited and killed in Spain) with a pair of partners that aren't real excited to work together. Well shot and acted - the rainy finale is strong.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
08/11/23
Full Review
Sheena P
It was thrilling, the character reveal towards the end could be better. But overall, good.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
06/08/23
Full Review
isla s
This is a gritty, dark underbelly watch, although its certainly not full of blood and gore but the crime its about involves sobering topics and secrets are brought to light in the community by the two detectives who find themselves investigating the disappearance of the women. There are some twists in the plot and I thought the performances were quite decent, so I'd give this a 4 star rating.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
Tony S
Besides being a good thriller. With a very tense and immersive setting, where you really get into the mindset of the detectives. Everything around them is hostile and almost visibly doesn't want them to find the missing girls. It is packed with very slow and methodical investigation scenes and couple of chases, that really manage to impress. Especially the car chase at night. With the help of a good soundtrack and stunning cinematography, the films exhumes atmosphere. The characters of detectives don't really show a lot, in terms of personalities. A big chunk of the run time is dedicated to making them vehicles for allegory of the post Franco Spain and Pact of Forgetting, without being needlessly moralizing.
And even with limited knowledge you can still piece it together and appreciate how it ties into the plot and characters of the detectives.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/14/22
Full Review
Late R
Suspenseful and dark, ‘Marshland' is a gripping crime thriller with a superb atmosphere that is informed by both the locations and the era in which it takes place. Set in a 1980's, post-Franco Spain where democracy is still in its infancy and old habits die hard, the well-written story has more than one facet and a few surprises up its sleeve -- it's not just a crime thriller/murder mystery, but also a statement on the country's recent history that still lingers, even as everyone tries to ignore it. Alberto Rodríguez Librero does an impressive job in the director's chair and together with Alex Catalán, who delivers some wonderful cinematography, they set a tone that just doesn't let go and keeps you glued to the screen. This one flew under the radar for me, but it's a fantastic film that certainly deserves more attention.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
05/30/21
Full Review
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