coldplayer-57213 This is a suspense movie of Spain. This story is set in 1980. One day, two girls go missing and are killed. In order to get a clue on the suspect, two policemen obtain information from a witness. However, there are rampant in lie and truth. So, Two policemen make an effort to arrest the murderer. I think that everywhere this movie represents 1980's atmosphere very well. So, If you are interested in this movie, please watch this movie.

stuart-12777 In a time when it seems every film that released is over hyped and thus a disappointment, it is heartening when you see a film that is every bit as good as you had hoped. Marshland is is one of those films.Most reviews here praise the photography, suspense and story line which are at times mesmeric but I also liked the setting and the feel of the film as well as the humble characterisations. I have also watched a little of True Detective which other reviewers have mentioned, there is simply no comparison as Marshland is a far better project. I am sure this will become a classic.It is disappointing that only one poor and misguided reviewer here has lowered the films rating.

Coventry This is one of those rare but fantastic thrillers where the locations and weather conditions form an equally important – if not even more important – protagonist as the leading actors/actresses. So, in fact, "La Isla Mínima" hasn't got two but three lead actors: Javier Gutiérrez, Raùl Arévalo and the mesmerizing Southern Andalusian filming location during a hot and moist summer! And there's another peculiar oddity that contributes to the unique and unsettling atmosphere of the film, namely that the events take place in the year 1980. We see quite a lot of thrillers nowadays that take place in the eighties, and usually scriptwriters do this because they want to avoid inserting new technologies like mobile phones or internet, but here it serves another and very particular purpose. The time accurately depicts a nation stuck in a vast identity crisis; Spain licking its wounds and slowly recovering from the Franco dictatorship period. Here, in a small community amidst the Andalusia marshlands, two detectives from Seville are investigating the disappearance of two teenage girls – sisters – during the annual town's carnival. The detectives are complete opposites. Pedro is young, ambitious and obeys the rules as much as possible, whereas Juan is experienced but cocky, struggling with his health and addictions and his methods to obtain information are often quite rough and unorthodox. Yes, admittedly the forced collaboration between two completely opposite police personalities is one of the biggest and most overused clichés in cinematic history, but in "La Isla Mínima" it doesn't feel derivative or annoying for even one second. Probably this is because the sober but clever script never urges you to pick a favorite or influences you to like/dislike one or the other. Both Juan and Pedro are intelligent, brave and determined police officers, albeit in their own introvert/extrovert styles. The two quickly discover that the missing (most certainly murdered) girls aren't the first victims and that there's a serial killer at large in the marshlands since a couple of years already, but then their investigation jams completely. The atmosphere and underlying suspense of "La Isla Mínima" is unfathomable! The pacing is incredibly slow, but that's perfectly fine since the Andalusian temperatures wouldn't even allow for a speedy pacing, but the tension is continuous and absorbing. This Spanish instant-classic often gets compared to the prestigious American hit-series "True Detective", which apparently is a huge compliment (I haven't seen it yet myself), but I'm confident to state that it is probably also a huge compliment for "True Detective" to get compared to "La Isla Mínima". The cinematography is often just downright phenomenal; just look at those opening sequences for instance, which are shot from a helicopter or something and make the dreamy landscapes like beautiful paintings. Make no mistake, since there are a handful of really tense sequences that bring you to the edge of your chair with suspense. What I mean to say, in fact, is that "La Isla Mínima" is a near perfect film that has almost everything.

nszponar When you think that thoughtful and intelligent films are not being made much any more, you remember that film exists outside the Hollywood blockbusters. Spanish directors and cinematographers seem to have a great eye for the visuals and this film looks very good especially in the exterior scenes. The interesting thing about the film is the setting in time and the location. It seems that Spain still finds it hard to tackle the Franco era head on and so you will find references embedded in films which are not overtly political. You have a an old guard policeman paired with a younger liberal policeman as an odd couple investigating a serial murder in a very traditional part of Spain (which is still a very traditional part of Spain). The time frame is not so long after Franco died and Spain became a modern democracy. The older unreconstructed policeman seems to be able to relate to people better but is also not averse to using illegal, old regime style means to elicit information. I would say this is an ambiguous part of the film but at least it tries to show that the world is not black and white. Well crafted and well worth a look.