Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

First, I must say that I speak Spanish and that makes my experience a little different than people who watched with subtitles. What an astonishingly well-made movie. The acting is suburb, and the cinematography is nothing short of magnificent. This movie is an emotional roller coaster, containing moments of heartbreak, suspense, and relief. The Marshland is set in 1970's Spain, at the end of the fascist Franco regime. The two main characters, both detectives, appear to be polar opposites when it comes to ideology. This strain between the two protagonists adds a lot to the tone and the direction of the film. There are many unpredictable moments. There aren't many boring moments, overall the film keeps the audience engaged until the end when the suspense builds up to a satisfying finish. Excellent cinema, I'll definitely be looking forward to more great movies coming out of Spain.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this one. I knew it had had comparisons with True Detective and it was very similar in setting (desolate and expansive) and the atmosphere/relationship between the two detectives. The actors, especially Pedro (the younger detective) were perfectly cast. Pedro almost underacted, but that set a kind of thought provoking atmosphere and worked really well against Juan, the other 'old regime' detective. One thing I've wondered about since watching it is the urinary tract infection Juan seemed to be suffering with that was just one of a few threads that were never really answered and because they weren't central to the plot you didn't feel they needed to be. Great film either. There's life in Spanish cinema beyond Almodovar. Thanks God!

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).

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.