La trincea infinita

Endless Trench. 2017 (Spanish Language) Netflix.

Set pre 2nd world war during the Spanish civil war. Fleeing from a fascist clampdown, Hignio hides away helped by his wife Rosa, He fashions a meagre and solitary existence in the dark behind the walls in their house. At over 2 1/2 hours long the film is a bit of a tunnel, with no obvious light at the end. Bizarrely you do feel for the characters and what originally was self preservation, after 1, 2, 10, 15, 20 30 years becomes a prison of their own making.

There are a lot of what appear flaws to the idea behind the film. But once you realise that these moles "topos" as the locals would call them where scattered all over Spain and this story is loosely based on fact, it does become quite riveting.

By the end the film does become incredibly sad , when you realise what the couple have sacrificed over the years. Is a worthy watch, but probably could have been a lot shorter.

This movie delicately captures how humans who are governed by fear not only rendered helpless, but are also transformed to alien versions of their former selves. What are the enduring repercussions of civil wars and dictatorships? What does life mean under these conditions? Is life a mere survival or do we stop living once our souls and spirits are crushed? Does a crushed soul and a defeated person stand a chance of living again? Can love survive military dictatorships?

This movie is an attempt to address all of these questions and its take is moving, heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time!

"Let fascism find not even a single passage to power or else that poisonous snake will infiltrate into every vital corner of the country and kill the future of the nation!" Mehmet Murat ildan

So, you feel imprisoned by the virus? Well, you have been, as have we all yet never with the choking space of Anne Frank, and never as torturous as The Endless Trench's Higinio (Antonio de la Torre), who spends 30 years cooped up in a false wall of his Spanish home fearing death by Franco's fascist loyalists.

The trio of directors Altor Arregi, Jon Garano, and Jose Mari Goenaga apparently did not trip over each other with their variegated lenses and positions to perfectly capture for insid out the imprisonment and sheltered point of view of the exiled Higinio. In over two hours, the film allows a sense of movement outside to infiltrate inside the hideaway.

Something is always happening in this 1936 through 1969 Spain, be it the imminence of being discovered to the birth of a baby, and the endless arguments with his wife, Rosa (Belen Cuesta), about how he should trust the new liberty of the allies and leave hiding. The energy of the film comes from the energy of revolt, be it against fascism or thoughts of safety in prison.

The Endless Trench masterfully glides between dreams of liberation and the warmth of enclosure. Additional allegory crops up with the apparent parallel to all lives that feel enclosed by a mate who prefers to stay home avoiding the dangers of being public and the challenges of intimacy that liberation demands. Introverted spouses should pay attention.

Although our pandemic lockdown fosters a claustrophobic atmosphere, nothing could compare with the lockdown between Rosa and her husband, a closed world of lost youth and abandoned hope. The allies may have liberated, but a man who stays in his prison after liberation is a man who has given up on his family and his nation.

The Endless Trench is a classy little film whose multiple levels of meaning and contemporary parallels should satisfy the most discerning moviegoer. Netflix

"If we define an American fascist as one who in case of conflict puts money and power ahead of human beings, then there are undoubtedly several million fascists in the United States." Henry A. Wallace

Movies that are quite claustrophobic are not easy to watch. I had no idea where this was going and while it is confined, it also is showing and going places. The acting is grand even in a closed setting. I can't even begin to imagine what a person goes through. And not just physically but also psychologically, which you can see and feel the effects towards the end.

Spanish language thrillers are quite something and if you like the genre, then you probably will have an idea what they are able to do. There is not much of a story here, this is about a setting and an evolution. It is about society and about human survival, even when it doesn't seem like living at all. Many great ideas, a lot of sexual encounters (violent and otherwise too, hard to watch - no pun intended and not trying to make light of many of the situations) and quite draining to watch to say the least ... but very well done

An extraordinary historical fiction movie, with outstanding performers, an elaborated script, and thriller format that makes it absolutely gripping.