Now practicing what he preaches on a year abroad in Spain, our resident foreign film buff Ben Lewis goes local with Daniel Monzón’s 2009 prison drama Cell 211.
To coincide with my year abroad, it only seemed appropriate to seek out a Spanish film that could relate to my experience of contemporary Spain, but equally one that was popular with critics and public alike. Guess what? I struck gold.
Image credit: IMDB
Celda 211 or Cell 211 in English, is a gripping prison action film that will remind you of Prison Break and make you wonder how it came about that the Spanish lovechild of Colin Farrell and Vin Diesel would star as the leader of the inmates. Struggling with not going to see it right this very moment? I thought as much.
After the opening credits eventually end, with what seems to be a collaboration between every western European film studio, the film depicts probably the worst first day anyone has ever had, when new prison guard and protagonist Juan Oliver takes it upon himself to go into a work a day before he officially starts.
What proceeds to happen is our unfortunate protagonist succumbing to an injury and being left behind by his colleagues mere moments before a full-blown prison riot breaks out. Unfortunately for him, this develops into an unstable stand-off between military police and prisoners, whilst the impotent guards watch on, via the one unbroken camera in the prison.
What we see throughout the rest of the film are the events of the riot from different perspectives: the prison guard who left Oliver behind, Oliver’s pregnant wife on the outside, the riot’s key figures and of course Oliver and his constant struggle not to be found out.
Image credit: EW
There is definitely a tragic quality that encompasses this whole film. From the premise of the film itself – an innocent prison guard forced to extreme measures to stay alive, to the ending which after such a big buildup is just lacklustre (which I will forgive due to artistic and thematic reasoning), and even the efforts of the despicable leader of the prisoners, Malamadre, trying to enact real change.
This point is best summed up by the fact that Oliver was just trying to make a good impression and only took the job for his family. I mean, what’s a man to do? I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions, but it’s definitely the predominant undercurrent of the film.
There are several scenes in the film that are not for the squeamish, (including right at the beginning – you have been warned!) and it is exactly this juxtaposition of hyperviolence, immediately followed by warm heartfelt flashbacks to Oliver and his wife joking around and subsequently back to Oliver’s desperation in prison that just eats away at your soul.
It’s adept direction by Daniel Monzón and, combined with the film’s tragic qualities, leaves the kind of feeling of emptiness you’d be more accustomed to from art-house cinema.
Image credit: IMDB
Always a fan of a political critique, I think this is slickly achieved in the film in Oliver’s speech towards the end in response to the Government negotiator. To summarise: the Government forces people to take extreme direct action to be heard and to force actual change. It’s expertly done, working on two levels, with the prisoners acting as a microcosm for the larger unimprisoned citizens on the outside.
Another interesting aspect is the presence of three members of the Basque separatist group ETA, who are mere pawns in the power struggle between prisoners and government. If they’re killed, the Basque government will seek answers – which pressurises the Spanish government into finding a resolution as quickly as possible.
The repercussions of mistreating or killing these prisoners across mainland Spain is a political nightmare, and from the perspective of a student in Barcelona, where Catalan pride is common, this adds an extra air of authenticity to the film.
To conclude, Cell 211 is a brilliant film which I highly recommend you see at some point in the near future. The expert direction, strong acting and well-handled political critique make for a compelling watch. Just maybe don’t watch it before a Monday Arena, unless you want to be cold on the inside which no matter of cheesy chips afterwards will be able to fix. Well, maybe…
4/5
Seen any good foreign film lately? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter or by commenting below. And for more foreign films to look forward to in 2013, read our coverage of the BFI London Film Festival.
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