Patria

To be seen, not just to be read. The novel by Aramburu is a masterpiece and this serie achives to show it on the screen. The atmosphere is exactly what it needs to be. The elements of the rain, the moving camera, the faces. Everything is well made.

But above all else, what is important is the story. I won't tell anything about it, just that shows the terror of ETA, that hideous gangs of murderers that called themselves liberators and democrats. This is something that we, as a country, cannot forget. We can have different opinions on politics or which is really our nation. I don't care, we can't forget who was and is to blame. Remember always that nationalism is a cancer, specially the violent one.

I whish a lot of people see this in other countries and know the reality of this so called "conflict".

... Unless you've read the book and then the difference, as usual, is huge. Anyway, performances are accurate and idiosyncratic as actors are Basque and don't need to pretend being one of them. Both women help giving strength and drama to their portraits. Scenery is perfect as well.

All four principal actors of Patria are Basque-born. I'm really jealous of Spanish viewers for not having to ear-strain, with authentic localized Spanish - además - being treated to something so genuine and from the heart, even if I had to put the Volume onto almost Full to understand the often muffled dialogue (which annoyed the wife). So far the reserved intensity and candor of the first three episodes has been striking. If you can produce TV this good, why on earth do production teams spend so much of the rest of their time producing trash?

I'm Spanish and I lived this as a kid, just as it was ending. Never saw the true horrors as I was about three at the time and my parents didn't want me to watch the news and see what was happening in Pais Vasco, but I remember the gruesome stories people told back then. I know that a lot of people won't appreciate or understand the importance of this series, but to me and to the younger generations who might not even know about this, it's a piece of history that should never be forgotten. That said, I have loved seeing these stories unfold and all of their points of view. I've learned a lot about my own country.

It begins slow... but later takes off and gets deeper. I guess the book is better, but the miniseries does not disappoint; I must confess it gets to my nerves how this violent act happens. The consequences. Anyway, I strongly recommend the series and implore patience to let the story to be developed at its pace.