Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Ramadan 17, 1445 H
broken clouds
weather
OMAN
23°C / 23°C
EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

The Endless Trench: Story of a hidden life

Rasha-al-Raisi
Rasha-al-Raisi
minus
plus

If you’re into movies that leaves a lasting emotional impact, then you should watch The Endless Trench by Spanish directors Jon Garaño, Aitor Arregi and Jose Mari Goenaga (2019).


Set at the start of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, the movie follows newlyweds Higinio (Antonio de le Torre) and Rosa (Belén Cuesta) who resides in a small unnamed village in Andalusia.


Higinio is a Republican who lie low after criticising the Falangist government led by Franco. After being betrayed by his neighbour who reports his whereabout to the Falangist soldiers, Higinio’s hiding journey that lasts for more than 30 years is shared with the audience starting from the small hole in his own house and ending in a more elaborated trench at his father’s.


The directors focus on Higinio daily routine inside the trench and the rare few occasions outside of it, also on his few links to the outer world: his wife and later son Jaime, the few publications that are smuggled to him and the radio.


The psychological effect of his hiding takes toll on his wife and son who confront him on more than one occasion, which gives the viewer an insight to a new angle of the story: what does it feel like living with a fugitive.


When celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Civil War in 1969, Franco declares an amnesty to all war criminals and crimes. Although Higinio had been dreaming of this day yet he finds it hard to leave his trench and face the outer world. And the question becomes: how could his family help him overcome this hurdle?


The movie smartly builds a rapport with Higinio which makes the viewer identify with the constant sense of entrapment present in every scene, whether Higinio is hiding or moving around the house secretly.


This sense of entrapment reaches the point of suffocation when like Higinio, the viewers can only rely on their own basic senses to interpret what’s happening in the outer world whether it’s through muffled sounds or faint silhouettes forming inside the hideout.


Another sense that the viewers develops throughout the movie is the persistent fear of being caught whenever someone enters the house, especially the informant neighbour. His strong vengeance inclination turns him into a bogyman whose appearance agitate the main characters and the audience alike.


Other than the brilliant performance of the lead actors, the attention to details in every scene is remarkable especially when it comes to costumes and make-up that marks brilliantly the passing of years on different characters whether in appearance or through the usage of prosthetics. Also dividing the movie into titled chapter gives the sense of anticipation and later sympathy with what the characters go through. The relationship between different characters that emotionally varies at each chapter is captured thoroughly and is easy to relate to.


One of the amazing factors of this movie is the knowledge that the events taking place are based on the true story of Manuel H Martín, the mayor of a town called Mijas in Málaga. Martín was in hiding for 30 years and inspired a documentary that was shot in 2011.


Unfortunately, he was one of many others known as topos (moles) who were in the same situation and only surfaced when the amnesty was granted. The movie was nominated for many awards including best actor and actress, best director and best movie. Belén Cuesta won the best actress award three times in Spanish movie festivals, including Goya. The Endless Trench is a visual treat that is richly entertaining. It’s available on Netflix and shouldn’t be missed.


Rasha al Raisi is a certified skills trainer and the author of: The World According to Bahja. rashabooks@yahoo.com


SHARE ARTICLE
arrow up
home icon