Asedio / Siege (2024)

Asedio / Siege (2024)

Madrid, Spain. During an eviction, Dani, a police officer, makes a shocking discovery.

A Spanish-Mexican Drama and Thriller directed by Miguel Ángel Vivas

Original language: Spanish

Natalia de Molina as Dani and Bella Agossou as Nasha are excellent. These two women join forces to take on a corrupt system. The other actors are fairly decent.

Apart from that… no, I didn’t like this film! I found it extremely painful to watch. I was bored stiff for the first half hour. Then it started to get interesting, so I told myself I’d stick it out… even though I nearly walked out several times. It felt like I was watching a French film. What an ordeal!

They’re trying to make a very natural film, almost in real time… but it’s such a drag for the viewer. What’s more, none of that stops the inconsistencies. You can either tell yourself it’s completely unrealistic, or, on the contrary, it can show the power of will! Whether it’s the will to survive, to succeed, and so on.

Generally speaking, I try to avoid anything to do with films about deportations, drugs, cartels, or corrupt cops. Yes, there are more and more types of films I can no longer stand.

Yet the subject is extremely important, and it is essential that we continue to talk about racism in all its forms and to speak out against it. But this film defends the very thing it attacks! It wants us to feel sorry for those being deported, yet at the same time it portrays foreigners as detestable. Admittedly, that’s life, because things are rarely black and white. There’s no formula for knowing who’s good or bad.

‘Nobody cares about the truth! A police officer is worth far more than the average person.’ The police aren’t there to serve the public, nor to solve their problems. They’re there solely for the bigwigs. And it’s in nobody’s interest to bring this out into the open. Except that we’re becoming increasingly aware of it!

Despite a few interesting moments, this film is best avoided. Towards the end, it gets a bit interesting again, but the film cuts off at a crucial moment… leaving the viewer to imagine what will happen next. Pathetic! It’s all very well to use our imagination, but in this case, the film ends more because of a lack of imagination or a lack of resources—I’m not quite sure which. Yet, an excellent ending could have saved a lot, particularly from making this feature film seem like a complete waste of time. As it is, it’s an ending that spoils the enjoyment even more and drives the point home right to the very end.

There’s not much else to say, and that’s yet another negative point for the film. On the other hand, it’s a positive point for me, as it means I won’t have to waste any more time on this story… even though I hate having nothing to say about a work of art.