Random Foreign film Review: Cell 211

Murphy’s supposed law of Nature ‘anything that can go wrong, will go wrong’ epitomizes the film Cell 211.

A sordid prison drama, it is charged with intense scenes and an edgy plot, that engulfs you within the emotional volatility portrayed by its characters.

The film is set in Spain, and begins with novice prison guard Juan Oliver (Alberto Ammann) going on a tour of the notorious prison on his first day of work.

A series of events creates uproar with the cellmates which inevitably leads up to a prison riot and the prisoners taking over the prison. An accident occurs that leaves Juan unconscious, and he is left deserted in the midst of the riot. To survive, he is left to convince the prisoners that he is one of them.

He meets the inmates leader, Malamadre (Luis Tosar) a rugged yet witty character who revolts against the conditions that the prisoners are subjected to. The steady composition of the film presents several plot twists which creates a deeper significance in drama surrounding the prison riot and the personalties of the characters in the film.

The screenplay was based on the fiction novel Celda 211 by Francisco Pérez Gandul. Director Daniel Monzón said in an interview with cineuropaTV that he wanted to add a realistic depth by portraying the film with documentary techniques to explore the atmosphere of life in prison.

“We wanted to put reality into the plot, the novel is a fable, a tragedy, and I wanted to get the real atmosphere of a prison,” Monzón said.

“The films style is somewhat of a documentary, we visited jails, talked to the guards and their family’s to get this impression.”

The film portrays a stark perspective into the Spanish sociopolitical landscape. Monzón  uses the characters to convey issues such as prison rights, police brutality, and political corruption.

Luis Tosar’s performance as the affluent brute Malamadre won him the Best Actor award in this year’s Goya awards, the Spanish equivalent to the American Academy awards. Tosar told Spanish film news website pasion por el cine, that he believes that his character was the most authentic personality he has played.

“Malamadre is a guy with a very tight moral code. Maybe he cares little for human life and leaves a guy dead or alive. He would kill for some specific reason, but not for anything. Basically, Malamadre is human like everyone else.” He said.

Cell 211 has won eight Goya awards this year including: Best movie, Best director, and Best screenplay. The vast accreditations seem somewhat overrated; riddled with various plot twists the film draws out to a predictable conclusion. Some of the events that unfurled seemed farfetched, and appeared to provide a simple solution to tie the loose ends of the script.

Cell 211 is a cliche thriller flick – think on the lines of Con Air, but in Spanish. However, if your looking for a film with more action than substance this is a must see.

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