Review of Marshland (2014) by José C — 20 Nov 2017

In 2014, just before he won a leading Actor Oscar, Matthew McConnaughey was at the height of one of the biggest career turnarounds. It was a time that became gleefully known as the "McConnaisance" and one of the major projects that he was involved in was HBO's television series, True Detective. It's a surprise then that more people didn't pay attention to Alberto Rodriguez's Spanish thriller, Marshland. That said, it was a huge hit in its native Spain and while it made a brief arrival on the film circuit with many critics lavishing praise on it, it still seemed to disappear fairly quickly. It's a shame as this is a dark, murder mystery that's thoroughly deserving of a wider audience and shares many similarities with the aforementioned TV show.

Plot: In 1980, in the marshlands of the Spanish deep South, Homocide Detectives Juan (Javier Gutiérrez) and Pedro (Raúl Alévaro) are brought together to investigate a series of brutal murders of adolescent girls in a remote part of the country. They are led onto the path of a serial killer who for years has terrorized a community in the shadow of a general disregard for women deeply rooted in a past of misogyny.

Alberto Rodriguez's Marshland plays out like many American serial killer thrillers. As mentioned, it shares many similarities in its structure and tone to that of the widely acclaimed True Detective. It has the same deliberate pace; the same downbeat tone and the same mismatched, psychologically tormented detectives that put aside their differences in order to do their job. What benefits Marshland greatly, are the two excellent central performances from Javier Gutiérrez and Raúl Alévaro whose very different ideologies lead to a suspicion of each other which lends the film another level of intrigue where, as a viewer, you're left constantly wondering what the next piece of the puzzle will reveal. Despite the intrigue, however, there's a simplicity to the film that's deceptive - such is the attention and focus on mood and composition. This is a very meditative police procedural that spends as much time exploring its setting as it does the characters. Set in 1980, Rodriguez isn't afraid to explore a sociopolitical theme and blur the lines between fascism and liberalism. This is a huge undercurrent between our two detectives and how they conduct their investigation in a post-Franco society where the fear and paranoia that Franco created still permeates the country, long after his death.

Beautifully shot by cinematographer Alex Catalán there's much to admire on visual level as well with some stunning overhead shots of the Spanish landscape and the sun-bleached rural region lends the film a desaturated look that's not unlike something that David Fincher would pull together. At 1 hour 44 mins, the film is certainly not overlong but it does feel longer than it is. Don't get wrong, though, this isn't a criticism. It's only to point out that there's a dense and meticulous attention to detail that makes for a very rewarding mystery. It's in no rush to reveal anything and it's moody, brooding atmosphere is captured expertly. My criticisms of this film are minor but there is one that shares the same issue I had with True Detective; I wasn't entirely convinced by the reveal. It's one of those whodunnits where it's nigh on impossible to work out for yourself. There's simply not enough clues that pertain to a particular person which left me a little frustrated. That said, this mystery is more about the journey than the destination and on that note it's hugely effective.

For anyone that's a fan of the serial-killer sub-genre and it's worthy inclusions like True Detective, Se7en or Zodiac then Marshland will not disappoint. It's abundant with style and atmosphere and another one of those European films where your left feeling satisfied with the commitment you've afforded it.

Mark Walker.