Spanish thriller with political undertones screened in Amman

AMMAN — Two ideologically opposed detectives try to bring peace to a troubled community in Spain in “La Isla Minima”, the European Film Festival’s offering on Sunday at Amman’s Rainbow Theatre. 

“The geography is a very important part of this film, starting with the title,” said Tomás López Vilarino, the deputy head of mission at the Spanish embassy in Jordan, who presented the film.

“La Isla Minima” (Marshland) is filled with aerial shots of the rice-producing wetland of the natural region of Guadalquivir, and the “amazing landscape” helps to set the mood for the thriller, Vilarino said. 

Directed by Alberto Rodríguez, the film is set in 1980, a period of political significance for Spain.

“Franco [died] in November 1975, so this is a film that takes place in the middle of what we call the Spanish Transition,” Vilarino told the crowded theatre, referring to the democratisation of Spain after the death of dictator Francisco Franco.

The film tells the story of a serial killer in a community in apparent despair, while two outsider detectives from Madrid, representing “totally different angles of the Spanish Transition”, Vilarino noted, try to find the killer and prevent harm befalling more women of the town. 

The film takes place in “one of the more depressed areas of Spain at that moment”, the diplomat said, noting that the socioeconomic situation has improved a lot since then.

“But at the same time, [it is] a very impressive environment from a natural point of view.”

The film has won some 45 international awards, among them 10 Goyas, Spain’s prestigious national annual film awards.

Although not an independent film, “La Isla Minima” was described by Vilarino as a “non-star film” that succeeded on its own merit.

The 28th European Film Festival concluded on Monday with screenings of Austria’s “Wie Bruderim Wind” (Brothers of the Wind), and Italian drama “Anima Nere” (Black Souls), at the Rainbow Theatre.

The festival, which opened on Wednesday, featured screenings of 11 recent award-winning films from various European countries, along with musical performances, a panel discussion and a graffiti project by Jordanian artists on “European Cinema”.

A closing ceremony was held after the screenings at Nofa Creative Space in Rainbow Street, Jabal Amman, featuring a musical performance.