Infiesto – Netflix Review (3/5)

INFIESTO on Netflix is a new crime thriller from Spain. The story plays out in March of 2020, so we’re in the very early days of the pandemic lockdown. A very strong backdrop for the story. For once, I actually wanted this movie to run longer. Read our full Infiesto movie review here!

INFIESTO is a new Netflix crime, thriller, and mystery movie from Spain. The title refers to the name of a small mining town in the Asturian mountains in the northern part of Spain. It’s gritty and rural but also with plenty of bigger towns around, so we get a good mix.

The story – which turns very brutal quite fast – reminded me of amazing Spanish thrillers such as Marshland from 2014. A movie that was remade in Germany as Freies Land in 2019. Unfortunately, its runtime is a bit of a downfall for the story. For once, we have a story, characters, and backdrop that could easily have carried a good 15 minutes more of storytelling. At least!

Continue reading our Infiesto movie review below. Find it on Netflix from February 3, 2023.

The setting feels all-too-familiar

Having the crime story of Infiesto play out in March of 2020 immediately brought me back to a time of almost grotesque uncertainty. We’re in the very early days of the pandemic lockdown, where Spain ended up being one of the worst-hit countries in the world. Elements of this also come across clearly – especially when we’re in a hospital or nursing home.

This setting makes everything else in the story feel all too familiar. You’re immediately transported to that uncertainty and it almost feels like Deja-vu when someone asks “Is this thing really that serious?”. Hospital staff, as well as police officers, turn especially pale when asked this question. They’re at the forefront seeing everything that those in lockdown are still sparred.

Obviously, this makes for a very strong backdrop for the story.  It also explains why some police detectives are forced to work a serious and potentially very big case alone.

The story begins when a girl turns up after having been gone for almost three months. Two detectives quickly start investigating in a small mining town in the Asturian mountains. They are quickly on the track of the kidnapper but tend to be just a minute or two too late again and again.

Meanwhile, both detectives have to stay isolated from their family to keep them safe since they’re in lockdown. The two detectives are portrayed by Iria del Río (Santo) and Isak Férriz (Feria: The Darkest Light), who delivers very strong portrayals.

The ending of Infiesto feels rushed

Don’t worry, I won’t be spoiling the Infiesto ending here. And it’s not that it’s bad. It’s just that, for once, I was ready to stay in this story for quite some time to go a bit deeper into everything.

You will get the answers to the mystery in the Infiesto ending, so it’s not that we’re left hanging as viewers.

However, one very small key character is even played by the lead from the Bitter Daisies Netflix series. Her name is María Mera and she was the main character in a series that ran for two seasons. Here, she has just minutes of screen time and very few lines. Surely, she was meant to have had a bigger role?!

IF YOU LIKE INFIESTO BE SURE TO CHECK OUT

The Spanish series Bitter Daisies on Netflix >

What I’m getting at is that it feels like something has been cut. Rather drastically. And I get a feeling it isn’t actually for the better. All the characters, reveals, and twists of Infiesto are very strong and – even if you guess some of it – work remarkably well.

So now, in this very strange twist of fate, I found myself wanting this movie to be longer. Maybe even a limited series. With a runtime of just 96 minutes, a very strong story is ultimately rushed too much. A real shame since this worked extremely well on so many levels.

Watch the Infiesto movie on Netflix

The writer and director of Infiesto is Patxi Amezcúa. His previous feature film was Séptimo from 2013. That one starred two amazing Spanish-speaking actors; Belén Rueda of The Orphanage and Argentinian Ricardo Darín from the Oscar-winning The Secret in their Eyes (2009).

Since his previous feature film came out almost ten years ago, it almost goes without saying that Patxi Amezcúa doesn’t direct much. He does however write quite a lot more. He did the adaption for the El aviso (2018) movie which is another very strong Spanish crime thriller. Also, he co-created the Prime Video series Operación Marea Negra (2022-2023).

Whether you’re familiar with the previous work of Patxi Amezcúa or not, you should definitely check out Infiesto on Netflix. It has a very strong story that deserved a considerably longer runtime but is still a very entertaining watch as it stands now.

Infiesto is on Netflix from February 3, 2023.

Details

Director: Patxi Amezcua
Screenwriter: Patxi Amezcua
Cast: Isak Férriz, Iria del Río, José Manuel Poga, Luis Zahera, Patricia Defrán