Andalusia, 1980s. Sent from Madrid to the swamplands of Seville, the policemen Pedro Suárez and Juan Robles are assigned a messy case: two teenaged girls have been found dead, brutalized and raped. Suárez, determined and incorruptible, and Robles, older and more disillusioned, investigate the secrets of an isolated community that hides much more than these two murders…

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A mix of Memories of Murder by Korean director Joon-ho Bong and the TV series True Detective, Marshland is a Spanish thriller bathed in a superbly cursed and feverish atmosphere, in which a series of murders cracks the façade of a society with a violent undercurrent, thanks to the efforts of two extraordinary policemen. Extremely successful in Spain and heaped with awards, Alberto Rodríguez’ movie is the perfect example of a well-crafted thriller, thanks also to the great actors, the amazing aerial shots and the captivating colors. Except that although exceptionally stylish, the movie lacks energy and originality, due to a very classic story that falls flat even though it is nicely assembled in an atypical frame. In the final analysis, Marshland is fine to watch, but it’s not really exciting.