Well done and in an interesting location about an interesting time. The place is Tetouan, Morocco, and the time is 1956, but the protagonist is trying to find out what happened there in 1936. I'm pretty familiar with the Spanish Civil War, so I expected there would be ugly revelations (it was an ugly time, with the Leftist against the Fascists, with very strong feelings on both sides). The movie seemed as if it could have been a TV series because it seemed to have been noticeably edited, but I still enjoyed it. I've also seen another good Spanish movie, "Palms in the Snow". But before either of them I saw the excellent Spanish TV production, "The Time In Between" (El Tiempo Entre Costuras), and I suspect these were follow-on productions that were (sadly) cut to movie length. I'm hoping for more of the same, but more fully realized.
3 Reviews
The search for truth and its consequences
hof-423 March 2017
On July 1936 General (later Generalissimo) Francisco Franco was flown by British secret agents from the Canary Islands, where he was confined by the Spanish Government, to the city of Tetuán in Spanish Morocco. Franco mobilized the African colonial troops in a military uprising against Spain's constitutionally elected government. After two years of bloody civil war, Franco was the victor and Spain and its remaining colonies entered a dark period of dictatorship, where torture and outright murder by police, the military and assorted thugs were common, and the death penalty was applied indiscriminately. During WWII Franco (short of declaring war on the Allies) supported unabashedly the Axis powers to the extreme of sending an Army division of "volunteers" to support the Nazi onslaught on the Soviet Union.
At the the end of the war Franco's Spain became an international pariah, condemned by the United Nations as an ally of the Nazis. Spain's postwar isolation did not last long: it was gradually lifted in the late forties and early fifties by opening the country to American bases and joining the anti-USSR coalition. Alliances with Fascism and Nazism during WW2 were conveniently forgotten. Of course, Spanish foreign policy was henceforth decided in Washington, not Madrid.
Franco had high hopes of clinging to the last vestiges of the former Spanish Empire but the US had other ideas; in the mid fifties it saw an independent Morocco as a strategic asset, and Spain was pressured to relinquish control. The carrot was Spain's admittance to the United Nations, that happened in 1955. Spain tried unsuccessfully to keep the Western Sahara, but just managed to cling to two coastal cities, Ceuta and Melilla, and to a few rocks jutting out of the Mediterranean near the Moroccan coast.
The backdrop for this movie is the city of Tetuán. The year is 1956, and Santiago, a young lawyer, scion of a wealthy Valencia family with strong connections to Franco's regime is in town. He is looking for clues (hinted at in a letter) that have to do with his family's past during the Civil War. Spanish power in Morocco is ending. Facts that had to remain hidden under the dictatorship are beginning to see the light, and various shady characters are scrambling to find ways to survive in the coming independent regime.
This movie does everything well, including its open ending. Characters are well fleshed out, acting is excellent, direction maintains a steady pace and the plot is at the same time suspenseful and deeply moving. Production values, in particular cinematography, are excellent, as is the reconstruction of time and place. The real protagonist is the fascinating city of Tetuán, with its back alleys and wide avenues where spectacular mansions hide behind deceptive facades. A definite must see.
We are informed in the movie that neckan (also transliterated naquam) means "to avenge" in Hebrew. Revenge, as well as Hebrew, are basic to the plot.
At the the end of the war Franco's Spain became an international pariah, condemned by the United Nations as an ally of the Nazis. Spain's postwar isolation did not last long: it was gradually lifted in the late forties and early fifties by opening the country to American bases and joining the anti-USSR coalition. Alliances with Fascism and Nazism during WW2 were conveniently forgotten. Of course, Spanish foreign policy was henceforth decided in Washington, not Madrid.
Franco had high hopes of clinging to the last vestiges of the former Spanish Empire but the US had other ideas; in the mid fifties it saw an independent Morocco as a strategic asset, and Spain was pressured to relinquish control. The carrot was Spain's admittance to the United Nations, that happened in 1955. Spain tried unsuccessfully to keep the Western Sahara, but just managed to cling to two coastal cities, Ceuta and Melilla, and to a few rocks jutting out of the Mediterranean near the Moroccan coast.
The backdrop for this movie is the city of Tetuán. The year is 1956, and Santiago, a young lawyer, scion of a wealthy Valencia family with strong connections to Franco's regime is in town. He is looking for clues (hinted at in a letter) that have to do with his family's past during the Civil War. Spanish power in Morocco is ending. Facts that had to remain hidden under the dictatorship are beginning to see the light, and various shady characters are scrambling to find ways to survive in the coming independent regime.
This movie does everything well, including its open ending. Characters are well fleshed out, acting is excellent, direction maintains a steady pace and the plot is at the same time suspenseful and deeply moving. Production values, in particular cinematography, are excellent, as is the reconstruction of time and place. The real protagonist is the fascinating city of Tetuán, with its back alleys and wide avenues where spectacular mansions hide behind deceptive facades. A definite must see.
We are informed in the movie that neckan (also transliterated naquam) means "to avenge" in Hebrew. Revenge, as well as Hebrew, are basic to the plot.
Very Absorbing
samkan10 April 2017
Warning: Spoilers
If you have not already, read hof-4's COMMENT for some background on the history. I had the luck to have viewed a three part documentary of the Spanish Civil War and was able to quickly pick up on the background politics; i.e., as far as impact on plot.. If you too know some of the details leading up to the eruption of the SCW, your viewing pleasure will be enhanced. Even if not, the English subtitles do a fine job. History aside, the lead characters and the setting create a compelling detective/suspense story. Amazing that I'm only the second COMMENTer for this film. I especially like the cafe and alley scenes, though the love interest is done sweetly and discreetly. Tired of all the manure streaming nowadays? Try NECKAN.
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