Infiesto Parent Guide

As the first lockdown comes into effect to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in Spain, detectives Garcia (Isak Ferriz) and Castro (Iria del Rio) have bigger problems than a pandemic. A beaten, branded, and traumatized young woman, Saioa (Andrea Barrado), has stumbled off the freeway after escaping a violent abductor. She’s too traumatized to talk, and the detectives are going to have to find other leads if they want to apprehend the culprit. While they do manage to find a man who appears to have been involved, he eludes capture and kills himself rather than be questioned by the police – but his death leads the detectives to a man known as El Demonio, “The Demon” (Jose Manuel Poga). He is likewise unwilling to reveal much, but his cryptic answers reveal that Saioa is far from the only victim, and that she is only a small part of a dark, dangerous, and violently disturbing conspiracy which will push the detectives to their limits.

I love a good crime thriller, and Infiesto isn’t bad. The crime is unusual, with strange occult overtones and dramatic high stakes. The detectives are overworked but determined, and the ongoing pandemic serves as a novel hindrance to their investigative efforts. It’s definitely coloring inside the genre lines – almost literally, considering how obviously the film’s color grading was influenced by films like Se7en - but it does so capably and entertainingly.

Unsurprisingly, this movie is a rough choice for family viewing. It’s not nearly as graphic as some other entrants in the genre, but it’s tense, violent, and packed with profanity, and that’s just not a selling point for younger audiences. On the plus side, there’s no actual sexual content, apart from some brief mentions of sexual abuse generally. Fans of the genre without the stomach for gore might find this film a welcome alternative to some of the bloodier options.

I don’t want to talk about the plot too much, since the fun of the film is following the investigation for yourself, but I thought it was a fun ride. It’s not the most original option out there, but it is well made and capably acted, and clicks along at a respectable pace. You don’t need to worry about trying to solve the crime ahead of the detectives: it’s not that kind of film. Just enjoy the unpleasant tension of the hunt for an unhinged kidnapper across the scenic Spanish countryside – to whatever extent you find that enjoyable.