A great mix of action and crime, with a well-worked trip to the past and a great vindication of quinqui cinema. Do not miss the exciting ‘The laws of the border’.
Quinqui cinema is one of the most impressive and unique artistic expressions that our cinema has had, and I’m always happy to bring back a movie from that time because they tend to be very powerful and are also capable of entertaining. It’s a shame they don’t distill as much anymore and that’s why it was such a pleasant surprise that a movie like The laws of the border.
The most recent film by Daniel Monzón is a stupendous whirlwind that recovers that kind of cinema and also finds ways to tie it to a modern context and sensibility. Available in streaming through Netflix, this remarkable thriller film has in its cast some wonderful Marcos Ruiz, Begoña Vargas and Chechu Salgado.
Based on the novel by Javier Cercas, the story takes us to Girona in 1978. Ignacio Cañas (Ruiz) is an introverted and somewhat misfit seventeen-year-old student who, when he meets Zarco (Salgado) and Tere (Vargas), two young delinquents from the city’s Chinatown, you see involved in multiple thefts, robberies and robberies throughout the summer, changing his life forever.
The best Netflix movies we’ve seen in 2022
Your family is initially relieved that your son is out and trying to interact with his surroundings, but it doesn’t take long for them to become concerned when irritable behaviors, late arrivals, and gossip begin within the neighborhood. But Ignacio will insist on stay on this line between good and evil, between justice and injusticein his process of growing up in a really special summer.
The film has a surprising component of adolescent discovery cinema that puts a note of special emotion, although what is most impressive is the work of Monzón and his team to create an ideal period atmosphere. Neighborhood life, existence on the margins, the brutality that has not yet been overcome by a dictatorship that still had a warm corpse. Also the small moments of hedonism in the discos to escape from the harsh reality.
‘The laws of the border’: life and sounds of the street
The hopelessness of that time for these people connects well with a current sense of hopelessness for the youth, where the future looks dark. Although the setting work is splendid, it is easy to link it with the present and elements that are not yet resolved in our system. Monzón achieves a powerful message as he fills the film with life through his cared characters and a splendid use of music.
Top 30 by Alejandro G. Calvo of the best films of 2021
that a group like Derby Motoreta’s Burrito Kachimba take care of the music exemplifies the intentions of the film, as they do a great job of modernizing classic sounds completely our own like the broken pipe music. Monzón also recovers songs from the period well, such as those by The Greeks (which I admit I spent a whole week listening to after seeing the film), which together with his fabulous way of shooting action achieves a truly powerful and addictive experience.
You can see The laws of the border on Netflix.
If you want to receive our proposals and premieres in your email, subscribe to our Newsletter
