Greetings again from the darkness. The best neo-noir crime thrillers immersed in the grim tone of "True Detective", Stieg Larsson's trilogy and El secreto de sus ojos (The Secret in Their Eyes, 2009) have a way of drawing us into the atmospheric underbelly of society and keeping us grappling for solid ground until a resolution is in place. This gem from Spain comes courtesy of director Alberto Rodriguez, who co-wrote the story with Rafael Cobos. Cinematographer Alex Catalan also deserves much credit.Juan (Javier Gutierrez) and Pablo (Raul Arevalo) are two police detectives thrown together to investigate the disappearance of two teenage sisters in a remote part of the southern country. It's 1980, five years after the death of Franco, and the country is in the midst of political and social transition/turmoil. The two detectives are a microcosm of this transition as Juan is the old-school cop who views "physicality" as part of the interrogation process, while Pablo is next generation and believes in following the new rules of democracy and treating all with respect. Pablo, whose wife is back home in Madrid expecting their first child, is none too happy about being paired with Juan, who seems to have no real moral compass at this stage in his life and career.When the violently abused bodies of the sisters are discovered, Juan and Pablo follow a trail of leads that take them through a mostly closed-circuit and uncooperative community … one eager to explain that those sisters had "a reputation". The village women are all frightened to speak, the men are zealously protective of each other, and both are suspicious of outsiders. Even the Civil Guard systematically defends the old society of man-rule.The contrast between the two polar opposite detectives, and their slow to develop meeting of minds, is more the focus here than the still quite interesting procedural work being done to investigate the murders and uncover the atrocities. This is not one of those heart-pounding, adrenaline-laced joy rides, but rather a slow-burn of police work and character development.Aerial shots to open the film are breath-taking and included periodically throughout the film. Mr. Catalan's work is combined with digitized versions of the work of photographer Hector Garrido to create the haunting atmosphere around an area of Spain that otherwise lacks the natural beauty we often associate with the country. This setting adds yet another layer to this mesmerizing movie-watching (for those of us who appreciate the genre).

I think "Marshland" is a very good film and I do recommend it...but not unequivocally. This is because this Spanish film is very well done but it's also quite brutal to watch with several ultra- realistic looking dead naked bodies...bodies that had been brutalized. In many ways, it's like watching an episode of the TV show "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" where you get to see everything...and that's something many of you don't want to necessarily see. You'll have to decide for yourself if you're up to seeing the film and if you are, it just recently came to Netflix here in the States.If you do watch the film, it wouldn't hurt if you know about recent Spanish history. It's set back in 1980...not long after the repressive Franco regime had been replaced with a democratically elected government. In Franco's day, the police could be more brutal and civil rights weren't nearly as important for the people they suspected. Because of this history, one of these veteran cops periodically shows a very brutal side....and witnesses who hold back are likely to get a rather serious beating--even uncooperative old ladies! So what are these cops investigating and why does one of them think it's worth delivering a butt kicking here and there?! In a small town in the marshland, a couple young ladies have disappeared...and at first it's just a missing person case. But when they are eventually found dismembered and there might be other killings, things get very serious. So serious that at one point in the film, even the local drug lord tries to help the police! The acting in this film is definitely underplayed...most likely to make the flashes of brutality all the more jarring. Now this is not to say that the film is slow or bad in any way...just deliberately paced and with music that definitely helps to set this somber, brooding mood. This helps build tension during the course of the story. My only real complaints are about the corpse scenes...as they are intense. Still, the film is so well made that I'm a bit surprised that I didn't see it listed today among the Oscar nominees for Best Foreign Language Picture.

I can't remember having enjoyed a film so much. This film kept me spellbound till the very end. The climax was also well executed, as well as the final scene before the end-credits roll.Marshland also known in Spanish as La isla mínima("Minimal Island") is a 2014 Spanish thriller film directed by Alberto Rodríguez. It won ten Goya Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor (Javier Gutiérrez). The plot of the film deals with the disappearance of two teenage girls during the harvest festivities. Two ideologically opposed homicide detectives from Madrid are reprimanded and sent to a forgotten town on the Guadalquivir Marshes to investigate.Detectives Juan(Javier Gutiérrez) and Pedro(Raúl Arévalo) must put aside their differences if they are to successfully hunt down a killer who for years has terrorized a community in the shadow of a general disregard for women rooted in a misogynistic past. The film is set in Spain during 1980 during the era of the Franco dictatorship. We see that the militia are still the main authority over the local police. Also there is a lot of red tape for the detectives to deal with. They have to solve the crime quickly and delicately without drawing a lot of attention from the press. The film shows the graphic nature of the aftermath of a terrible crime. We are spared nothing. We see the crime through the eyes of the detectives as well as the parents of the victims. More crimes are uncovered as the film progresses. We see also how pretty young teenage girls are trapped into prostitution by money or drugs. To a casual viewer, the film may be brutal at times, but this is how the world truly is. Even now as I type this review, a lot of crimes are taking place in the world. I hope one day, people of all nationalities can live in love and peace and that there will be an end to crime once and for all.More serial killer films: The Secret Life: Jeffrey Dahmer (1993), To Catch a Killer (1992), The Deliberate Stranger (1986), Citizen X (1995), The Gray Man (2007), Confessions of a Serial Killer (1985). Deranged: Confessions of a Necrophile (1974). All this films are based on real-life killers. Thank you for having the time to read this review. May you live long and prosper.

Immerse yourself in this great film, but perhaps don't examine it too much afterwards.Two cops, both demoted to outback duties for different reasons, chase a killer in a troubled nation. It's important to understand the difference between a superb piece of cinema, which this is, and a roller coaster genre thriller, which this isn't. The evocative mood of post Franco Spain is compelling (conspiracy, worker strife, fear of the past, misogyny), and the brilliant and in some cases unique photography marks this out as a directorial masterclass.However the thriller itself is workaday, and will not pass muster if that is all you are looking for. This is after all a buddy cop film - and that is hardly an undiscovered country. Most of the characters are reduced to thin cyphers, and the rapid turn of events can't hide the fact that the only truly complex thing is the marshland itself.There is much to enjoy and admire, but maybe little to remember.