This film opens on day one of the Covid lockdown in Spain. A young woman who has been missing, presumed dead, for several months turns up in Infiesto, a small mining town in the Asturian Mountains. She is alive but not speaking. Police officers Inspector Samuel Garcia and his sergeant, Marta Castro are investigating her kidnapping. It soon becomes clear to them that this was more than an isolated kidnapping by a lone culprit. The more they discover the more disturbed they are and the disappearance of another girl gives them a sense of urgency.

I thought this was a solid enough crime thriller, perhaps not a must see but a decent enough addition to the genre. It starts well and the tension escalates nicely as we learn more about the crimes and the perpetrators. Having it set against the backdrop of the enforced lockdown wasn't really necessary but nor did it detract; having so few people about added to the atmosphere. The atmosphere was already pretty good due to the remote location and overcast or rainy weather. The central story isn't the most original but there is only so much one can do in a popular genre. The cast is solid, especially Isak Férriz and Iria del Río, who play Garcia and Castro respectively. Overall a decent enough film for fans of Euro-crime dramas.

These comments are based on watching the film in Spanish with English subtitles.

Detective film in which a serial killer is hunted down by the police during the Covid-19 pandemic in northern Spain. Containment sets the mood for the film (the city's empty streets), reinforced by humid, verdant vegetation set against a backdrop of small hills on the outskirts of the city. The scenery is one of the film's strengths: there's also an abandoned factory, semi-abandoned farms, a mine and the deserted town itself. These set elements give the film its own atmosphere.

The other component is our duo of lead cops, who don't follow procedures, one of whom dies suddenly before the film's end. The failure to follow procedures leaves the viewer doubtful and diminishes the credibility of the whole.

Finally, the rational explanation of the murders and their resolution introduces a mystical dimension, already seen many times, but here dosed just right so as not to unbalance the film. The whole thing is wrapped up in such a way as to make it impossible to guess who the killer is, despite the various hypotheses raised along the way.

In short, an unoriginal but honestly effective Netflix B-movie. A film for Martians who land on planet Earth.

(2023) Infiesta (In Spanish with English subtitles) THRILLER

It takes place during the year of Covid, and two homicide detectives of Samuel García (Isak Férriz) and Marta Castro(Iria Del Río) are assigned to the abduction case when a young ragged and disheveled girl reappears in the middle of the road before she is then put in a hospital. When the two detectives are coming up to see her, they apparently have their own problems at home, while Samuel is forbidden to see his mother at a care home, Marta's boyfriend has covid. By the time they got their first real lead a guy, Manuel Gomez known as "Dog Killer" somewhat owns a winery, only when he's found out he shoots himself.

The movie was involving for about a hour and 20 minutes up until the third bad guy was discovered, totally ignores proper police protocol. Like, the police had the photo all along and they do not investigate everyone in the photo immediately, how ridiculous! Netflix must have wanted them to wrap the movie up or something!