To become immersed in an archetypal, affectionately traditionalist thriller – you need to become aware of the world you’re inhabiting, to be able to place the tale in a wider context, and have outside themes inform the narrative at hand. In Alberto Rodriguez’s Marshland, the swampy, deep southern Spanish setting is enriched by the era explored, of a nation coming out of Francisco Franco’s tight grip and dictatorship. This sets the scene in a remarkable fashion, as that sense of disparagement that derives from the political unrest makes for a volatile backdrop, making for a film that while undoubtedly flawed in parts, has a chilling, indelible atmosphere that won’t leave you for days.
Our two protagonists are emblematic of this unsettling sense of discord, ideologically incompatible. Pedro (Raul Arévalo) is a younger, blissfully naïve detective with a bright future, while his partner Juan (Javier Gutiérrez) is of the old guard, a symbol of a fallen dictatorship, seemingly impervious to change but evidently in fear of it. Between them, however, they must work together for a common goal; to find the barbaric serial killer who is on the loose, having recently murdered two innocent teenage girls – before any further victims are unearthed.
With several characters peppering this narrative, each indicative of the sociopolitical context – perceptibly part of a new, optimistic nation, or supporters of the preceding regime – that’s not all that informs this tale, as the unforgiving landscape of the marshlands makes for an immensely effective backdrop. While Alex Catalan’s cinematography remains consistently stunning, the tone and mood of the feature is at the mercy of the ever-changing topography. At times it’s beautifully idyllic, and ineffably serene, with the sun rising and setting behind birds in flight – the perfect contradiction to the horrors and savagery of the crimes taking place. Yet that very same sense of isolation makes for a chilling experience, adding a helplessness and vulnerability to our protagonists. The varying weather conditions also help to dictate the mood, as while calm and still in places, there are also sequences where rain pelts down on our characters, bringing about an intensity and suspense to proceedings.
Though atmospheric, Rodriguez is stylistic with a minimum contrivance, which is no easy task. He’s also evidently confident, and in tune with the beats and pacing of an accomplished noir thriller, sprinkling various clues along the way, in a subtle, efficient manner. On a more negative note, however, and in spite of the high acclaim that Gutiérrez has received for his performance, Marshland does feel as though it’s lacking a more charismatic, beguiling lead. Working almost as ciphers, we see the world from the two detective’s perspective and yet never feel as thought we’re embodying them, as they lack subtle idiosyncrasies and nuances to help the viewer invest in the roles and root for their cause – which becomes imperative as we approach the latter stages. We saw from True Detective that the crime itself can play second fiddle to the protagonist’s own respective arcs, and this struggles to pull that off in the same way.
Although tedium kicks in towards the middle stages, Rodriguez must be commended for blending genres and offering a film that maintains it’s creativity while at the same time abiding to the tropes of the genre at hand. At it’s core this remains a whodunnit thriller, but there’s certain sequences – such as when our protagonists are being shot at when striding through high grass, where this film takes on the form of a horror movie – and it’s horror that derives from human beings. For all of the supernaturalism that exists in the genre, sometimes we can be the most frightening of antagonists.
