Dean Crowe Theatre Athlone

Tuesday 14 November 2023 8pm

Dir: Rodrigo Sorogoyen Spain,France 2022

Language: French, Spanish with subtitles

Running time: 137 minutes Cert: CLUB

Starring: Denis Ménochet, Marina Foïs, Luis Zahera, Diego Anido

French couple Antoine and Olga have fulfilled their dream of moving to the Galician countryside, setting up their own small farm. Their refusal to sell their land to developers has created tensions with local brothers Xan and Loren, who want the money for a chance at a new life. Tensions boil over after an act of sabotage leads to increasingly tense and violent confrontations between the neighbours.

Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s engrossing thriller is a slow-burn in the best possible way. Aided by remarkably naturalistic performances, this is a methodical film where the tension builds and builds in a manner that’s utterly compelling. It’s no surprise it dominated at Spain’s Goya film awards, where it won in nine categories including Best Film.

Festival showing:
Dublin International Film Festival, 2023 - Best Film (Dublin Film Critics’ Circle)
Goya Awards, 2023 - winner of nine awards including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Screenplay
César Awards, 2023 - Best Foreign Film

Quotes:
“★★★★★A terrific, gripping drama that will cross cultural borders with ease. Every nation has such stories.”
-Donal Clark, the Irish Times

“And while the jostling of the men and the sense of mounting threat is compellingly unsettling, it is Olga as a character, and Fois as an actor, who is the film’s secret weapon.”
Wendy Ide - Screen International