Film: Marshland (2014)
Director: Alberto Rodriguez
Synopsis: Set Spain in 1980, against the backdrop of the death of Francisco Franco and the country’s transition from Fascism to democracy, the film follows a missing persons investigation. Two detectives from Madrid are dispatched to a marshland village in the Deep South of Spain to find two missing girls, and uncover more than one shocking conspiracy.
Characters: Juan – an older, seemingly lackadaisical detective from Madrid, Pedro – a younger detective who has essentially been exiled from Madrid for criticizing the military government.
Rationale: I chose this scene, the first scene in the movie, because I think it perfectly sets up the rest of the story. It shows us everything we need to know about the setting, the characters and their relationships in about two minutes, with almost no dialogue. Even though it’s in a foreign language, viewers are given all the information they need through Rodriguez’s careful use of the camera.