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Rating: A happy surprise.
"Cell 211" hit Italian theaters back in 2010, a year not exactly overflowing with quality films: however, this is finally a high-level title arriving from the Iberian Peninsula. The idea and screenplay that gave life to the film are based on a Spanish story: we are talking about the novel of the same name by Francisco Pérez Gandul, recently published in Italy by Marsilio publishing house. From this prison thriller, director Daniel Monzón draws inspiration to create, through precise and no-nonsense direction without unnecessary flourishes, a powerful and narratively effective film, which stands out for its authenticity.
The story is about the young Juan Oliver, newly employed in a Spanish prison facility. Determined to make a good impression, he chooses to visit the prison, and on that very day, a riot breaks out inside, led by the brute Malamadre (a formidable Luis Tosar). Amidst the ensuing chaos, Juan finds himself, involuntarily, trapped inside the prison with the dual role of providing guidance to those outside and simultaneously supporting the inmates' cause.
Beyond the merits of the actors and the excellent depiction of the utilized location, the film's true strength lies in the vision and interpretation given by its director. Monzón shows that he takes no sides: he does not side with the officials and the Government, accused by the inmates of making them "live" in terrible conditions, without any rights, relegated to the margins of society. Likewise, he does not side with the inmates, who, for their part, call for more freedom, justice, and the right to basic elements. His narrative "angle" is thus one of absolute impartiality, "merely" observing with the ruthless eye of a documentarian what happens inside the maximum-security prison, where the conflict is not only between officials and inmates but also (and above all) within the two "factions" themselves. Monzón's film lacks a clear "good" or "evil." The choice of "whose side to be on" is up to the audience, who, while becoming engrossed in the story, can only reflect on a story that tastes of the bitter realities of contemporary life.
In a scenario like this, where violence and indifference are mixed, where risk is no longer recognized, and when pain surpasses lucidity, man is transformed into a true animal with survival as his primary drive, turning into a ferocious, destructive impulse. Within this concrete hell, every look becomes the tipping point between life and death. Every misstep costs pain. Thus, in a stark story without embellishments, the synergistic blend of the drama of the story and the brutal spectacle of some sequences strikes a chord, mixed without purely rhetorical intent with a jab at political bodies, and where once again the true great sentiment that rises above everything and all difficulties is friendship...
"You do what you can."
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