In 'Escape Plan' by Iñaki Dorronsoro, a tight-knit group of Eastern European criminals plan to undertake an audacious bank robbery, but are forced to recruit an unknown element when one of their members is killed.
Victor (Alain Hernández) keeps to himself, resisting the crime 'family’s' efforts to get to know both him and his troubled past. Of course, there is more to Victor than meets the eye, and the audience is taken on his journey to break into an impossible bank vault, while eluding Spanish police.
There are quite a few twists, turns and sleights of hand as the plot unfolds, some of which will take audience members by surprise, and others true aficionados of the crime genre will see coming. This doesn’t detract, however, from the drama and tension of the film. It is beautifully shot with gritty tones to expose Spain’s criminal underbelly. The main characters are rather pleasant on the eye, which doesn’t hurt either.
It is in the interplay between characters and the unfolding of their personalities, perhaps, that the audience begins to uncover differences between stereotypical Australian and European culture. Mateship, fidelity, family and the obligations of bosses are treated in ways that Australian audiences may find unexpected, but which jibe well with the archetype 'Latin' view of relationships – however true to reality that portrayal may be. And that, after all, is one of the aims of film festivals, to give us a little window into the creative lives of other cultures.
The relationships and the film’s ambiguous ending will certainly give film buffs much to discuss after the curtain falls.
Spanish Film Festival Tour Dates
18 April-7 May – Sydney19 April-7 May – Canberra
20 April-7 May – Melbourne
26 April-14 May – Adelaide
27 April-14 May – Brisbane
27 April-17 May – Perth
11 May-17 May – Hobart
