Infiesto (2023) User Reviews (23)

Flat and exploitative

[gabriel_sanchez · 5/10 · 6 February 2023]

The plot follows the investigative police thriller style. We accompany detectives Samuel and Castro around the municipality of Piloña, Spain, in their investigation. However, the plot itself is simple and devoid of twists. Its linearity becomes an issue when we reach the climax.

Part of the premise is that the investigation takes place at the time of the COVID pandemic, but that doesn't affect the plot. The pandemic is just a backdrop to the plot, present but indifferent. The plot tries to place the pandemic as a relevant factor, to the point of counting the days of confinement at the time when curfews and quarantines came into effect worldwide; the pandemic context seems to be just an artifice to attract an audience; the plot would remain the same without the pandemic.

In the end, the feeling is one of exploitation, a twist that feels forced. Nothing in the plot indicates that that would be the end, the plot just plays a trick, an Ex-Machina that connects all the points, leaving us with the bitter taste of disassociation. The insinuations, the theories, all falls flat.

The name of the film can only be premeditated. Infest.

With a linear and simplistic plot, marked by a meaningless and calculated twist, and appropriating a historical moment that does not interfere with the plot, Infiesto should only be proud of its sepia cinematography of a decrepit Spanish region. The atmosphere is tense and suffocating, but the story is thin.

An ok thriller

[thewalkingpuns · 6/10 · 5 February 2023]

This was an alright spanish thriller. Iv'e seen bettee but as far as im concerned this was still great. For me however the only thing that let this movie down really was the dubbing. I didnt understand why it was overally acted and it therefor made the script sound a little unpolished aswell. But looking past that lets get to the actual film. Its all about this young girl that turns up after being missing for three months. The lead detectives try to find out who was responsible for the capture and within this find out it might be part of even bigger thing. The cast of this movie were good and interesting to watch. The plot was pretty good and was entertaining. Overall a pretty good thriller.

It has it's moments but the way the last bad guy was discovered was inconsistent

[jordondave-28085 · 5/10 · 20 February 2023]

(2023) Infiesta (In Spanish with English subtitles) THRILLER

It takes place during the year of Covid, and two homicide detectives of Samuel García (Isak Férriz) and Marta Castro(Iria Del Río) are assigned to the abduction case when a young ragged and disheveled girl reappears in the middle of the road before she is then put in a hospital. When the two detectives are coming up to see her, they apparently have their own problems at home, while Samuel is forbidden to see his mother at a care home, Marta's boyfriend has covid. By the time they got their first real lead a guy, Manuel Gomez known as "Dog Killer" somewhat owns a winery, only when he's found out he shoots himself.

The movie was involving for about a hour and 20 minutes up until the third bad guy was discovered, totally ignores proper police protocol. Like, the police had the photo all along and they do not investigate everyone in the photo immediately, how ridiculous! Netflix must have wanted them to wrap the movie up or something!

What the use?

[searchanddestroy-1 · 4 February 2023]

I know that I am not a great fan of serial killers films. But there were great ones such as SEVEN of course, the best ever, and several other ones. But this one has nothing to remind of, nothing exceptional to remember. You have the unavoidable detectives duet and the rest is predictable, with the also unavoidable raining scenes, a cliché for serial killers films. No real surprise, if you have seen at least ten serial killer schemes in your life. I prefered THE PLAGUES OF BRESLAU, made in 2018. The only unusual thing is that it takes place at the beginning of the COVID plague, but is it useful to give quality to this flat movie? To enhance the interest to see it? I don't think so.

A decent enough crime thriller set against the backdrop of the Covid lockdown

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 25 March 2023]

This film opens on day one of the Covid lockdown in Spain. A young woman who has been missing, presumed dead, for several months turns up in Infiesto, a small mining town in the Asturian Mountains. She is alive but not speaking. Police officers Inspector Samuel Garcia and his sergeant, Marta Castro are investigating her kidnapping. It soon becomes clear to them that this was more than an isolated kidnapping by a lone culprit. The more they discover the more disturbed they are and the disappearance of another girl gives them a sense of urgency.

I thought this was a solid enough crime thriller, perhaps not a must see but a decent enough addition to the genre. It starts well and the tension escalates nicely as we learn more about the crimes and the perpetrators. Having it set against the backdrop of the enforced lockdown wasn't really necessary but nor did it detract; having so few people about added to the atmosphere. The atmosphere was already pretty good due to the remote location and overcast or rainy weather. The central story isn't the most original but there is only so much one can do in a popular genre. The cast is solid, especially Isak Férriz and Iria del Río, who play Garcia and Castro respectively. Overall a decent enough film for fans of Euro-crime dramas.

These comments are based on watching the film in Spanish with English subtitles.

Honest and moderately original

[norbert-plan-618-715813 · 6/10 · 9 June 2023]

Detective film in which a serial killer is hunted down by the police during the Covid-19 pandemic in northern Spain. Containment sets the mood for the film (the city's empty streets), reinforced by humid, verdant vegetation set against a backdrop of small hills on the outskirts of the city. The scenery is one of the film's strengths: there's also an abandoned factory, semi-abandoned farms, a mine and the deserted town itself. These set elements give the film its own atmosphere.

The other component is our duo of lead cops, who don't follow procedures, one of whom dies suddenly before the film's end. The failure to follow procedures leaves the viewer doubtful and diminishes the credibility of the whole.

Finally, the rational explanation of the murders and their resolution introduces a mystical dimension, already seen many times, but here dosed just right so as not to unbalance the film. The whole thing is wrapped up in such a way as to make it impossible to guess who the killer is, despite the various hypotheses raised along the way.

In short, an unoriginal but honestly effective Netflix B-movie. A film for Martians who land on planet Earth.

Pointless.

[Top_Dawg_Critic · 4/10 · 27 February 2023]

There's been thousands of films just like this one, done much better, so what was the point of any of this? Having it take place over the pandemic was also pointless, especially melodramatically naming the days of the lockdown like chapters that are supposed to mean something to the story's significance, because they didn't. Trying to convince the viewers the antagonists motives were a result of the pandemic was a far stretch, even to the best of imaginations. I kept waiting for some big twist or big reveal, and it never came. The entire story was just a waste of 96 minutes. What made this even more frustrating was the abysmal lack of basic policing protocols, because every crime scene both cops were at they had their paws all over the evidence. Did the producers forget that cops are supposed to wear latex gloves at crime scenes? Never mind there's a pandemic going on and they're still touching everything in sight lol. And in the final act when the female cop goes down the shaft, she's breathing so loud and heavy like she was the victim that was scared to death, and not a trained cop. This entire production was amateur-hour and a complete waste of time. It was a pointless and frustrating watch. It's a generous 4/10 for the somewhat believable performances and the decent cinematography, score and tone the film had.

Who and why dunnit

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 24 February 2023]

No pun intended - if you are into movies like this one ... well I don't have to sell it to you. The movie has a bonus (or a weakness, depending on how you feel about it or view it): it is set during the Corona Pandemic ... so it does acknowledge it and embrace it of sorts.

That being said, it could have been made or left out to be honest. But I reckon it was added to give us an added layer of dread ... and maybe even add some icing on the cake, when it comes to the ending and the meaning of certain things. Especially the ending might split people up - no pun intended. Every single day is mentioned .. and while it counts up, it does feel like a countdown ... no pun intended.

Performances are really good, but the twists may not work for everyone the way they were meant to. Not guessing where this leads to is not the end of the world surely ...

Failed thriller

[hof-4 · 3/10 · 7 February 2023]

Infiesto is s small mining town in the province of Asturias, in northwest Spain. The time is the end of winter, a dark, rainy, melancholic season. The lead characters are Inspector Samuel (male) and Subinspector Castro (female). The movie opens with the roadside appearance of a teenager, alive, kidnapped long ago and presumed dead.

The first half is rather good; it shows routine police work with frustrating leads, abundance of dead ends and uncooperative witnesses. It also shows in passing the heavy industry that pollutes the air and defiles the verdant, idyllic landscapes of Asturias with open pits, denuded hillsides and smokestacks.

However, the story veers midway into horror movie territory. Improbabilities and impossibilities pile up and, what could have been a good police procedural slides into the (unintentionally) funny. Direction, cinematography and acting are good, but they can's cope with the material. The time frame of the action is the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and this is brought into play but is mostly inessential to the action.

I was intrigued by the choice of a town with the strange name Infiesto. It is close to infesto (I infest) and to Infierno (hell), both pertinent to the happenings in the movie.

checks some boxes as a Thriller, but I fell asleep.

[lojitsu · 7/10 · 11 June 2023]

Here's The 4K Lowedown on "Infiesto" (TV-MA - 2023 - Netflix) Genre: Thriller/Crime

My Score: 7.0 Cast=4 Acting=8 Plot=7 Ending=7 Story=6 Intense=8 Pace=5 Suspense=8 Crime=9 Twist=7

Two detectives are called to a small mining town where a young woman who had been left for dead for months has suddenly appeared, leaving the detectives to question what dark forces are at work.

"We will need every cop dealing with the virus...you two will have to be alone on this." The movie takes place right after the lockdown from the pandemic started...it makes for a good background character here. The acting was solid for this Spanish slow burn thriller, but I had definite pace issues...I fell asleep about halfway through and had to watch it again. It checks some boxes as it tries to balance between the criminal and supernatural. This is a pretty good watch on Neflix, but I wouldn't see it again.

I survived that. So it's not the end of my world

[misterplunderer · 5/10 · 9 February 2023]

"It's only just the beginning" of my rants Pros: the cast is good.. sometimes and the color scheme is good. I also learn some new stuff about celtics or spanish culture and the way they conducted the search, kinda accurate and believable.

Cons: it's finna be ALOT. First of all, covid and that satanic stuff? Just unnecessary. Maybe they tryna connects it but yea, nope. Second, some scenes seriously irrelevant to the whole plot. I think they need to cut more BUT at the same time, add more? Things that relevant. There's no attachment to anything, no emotional stuff, no mystery stuff for me to be hooked. No boom stuff for me to tell home to. Plus, it's a slow burn film

Overall, it's a knockoff csi imo? It's a movie where you must have a big patience and a big ego to challenge it to the finish. It's not recommended to watch w a party.

Noir Covid Thriller

[Pairic · 8/10 · 5 February 2023]

Infiesto: What at the outset looks like a film about a serial killer/kidnapping ring morphs into a Spanish Folk Horror thriller. It begins in march 2020 just as the covid lockdowns were first implemented. A girl who has been missing for nearly 3 months suddenly turns up. She has escaped from her abductors but is traumatised, remembers little. Two detectives who themselves are suffering from family separation due to the quarantines and curfews investigate the case and soon connect it to other missing young people. Strange characters are encountered and the obvious assumption is that a people trafficking gang is at work. But strange symbols are observed and the words of suspects suggest that a Cult with a hidden leader is involved. Sacrifices to appease an Old God, the coming of The End Times are all in the mix with the pandemic itself. The Asturias mountains where the detectives hunt for the Cult members and their victims provide a stark and eerie background. From old farm barns through the woods and pursuit along narrow roads, Cultists determined not to be taken alive must be pursued. Quite violent and gory in parts but much of the horror is psychological. This film could have been fleshed out and would have benefited from a twenty minute extension to it's 97 minute running time. Written and directed by Patxi Amezcua. On Netflix. 8/10.

Decent serial killer movie..!

[kamalbeeee · 7/10 · 11 July 2023]

In a small town teenagers are missing three months once...Two detectives try to find the killer and revealed lot of shocking news towards investigation... Finally the culprit is in their own police department... Good dark photography and it gives more excitement of this movie... Especially for investigation thriller fans.. Must watch investigation thriller movie..!

In a small town teenagers are missing three months once...Two detectives try to find the killer and revealed lot of shocking news towards investigation... Finally the culprit is in their own police department... Good dark photography and it gives more excitement of this movie... Especially for investigation thriller fans.. Must watch investigation thriller movie..!

The most basic police drama of the most basic police dramas

[Kukkahattuseta · 2/10 · 31 October 2023]

There is not much to write about this film. The film is very mediocre in every respect. The characters are confusingly thin and not very interesting. The plot is as basic as it gets. The film is also plagued by constant implausibility. The two main characters repeatedly investigate crime scenes and pontential crime scenes without gloves. Oh well, that's that. This film leaves no memorable impression. On top of that, the main villain is easy to guess. My character count is not yet full at this point, but there is simply no more to write about this film. I think that says it all about this film.

Spanish police drama set in coronavirus

[paul-allaer · 7/10 · 18 February 2023]

As "Infiesto" (2023 release from Spain; 98 min) opens, we hear a TV announcement that a state of emergency has been declared due to the coronavirus. We are in "Day 1 of the Lockdown" and a young woman who had been missing for 3 months is found wondering the empty streets. Inspectors Garcia and Castro are ordered to find out what really happened, as each of them has personal issues as well (Garcia's mom and Castro's boyfriend are isolated due to the coronavirus). At this point we are 10 minutes in the film...

Couple of comments: this is a cop drama set in the remote and rugged Asturias region in northwest Spain. No sunshine here! Just industrial, gloomy and never-ending low hanging clouds. Add on top of that dealing with the coronavirus AND investigating the mysterious disappearance of various young people, and it all leads up to a gritty police drama. I quite liked it, to be honest. I wasn't familiar with anyone of the cast or the production team. The two leads, Isak Ferriz (as Garcia) and Sandra Bullock-reminding Iria Del Rio (as Castro), mesh well together without going over the top. The movie is super plot-heavy so the less said about that, the better. Bottom line: this movie isn't revolutionary in any way, but it kept my attention.

"Infiesto" started streaming on Netflix in early February, and Netflix recommended it to me based on my viewing habits. Thanks Netflix! If you are in the mood for a gritty cop drama from Spain that is set just as the world comes to grips with COVID-19, I'd readily suggest you check it out, and draw your own conclusion.

thriller set during coronavirus pandemic manages to be boring

[stairways · 2/10 · 21 February 2023]

Seriously, how do you make a crime thriller, about kidnapped girls, in an atmospheric, small, Spanish town, in some of the worst, wettest weather in history, and in the first few days of a global coronavirus pandemic - and still manage to make it so incredibly boring?

The plot, but there is of it, is dull and predictable. And you've seen it all before missing girls across a number of towns are all apparently connected when one new girl escapes from her captors. Two cups, one male, one female are on the case. Gradually we discover that the bad guys number three, and the good cops have only managed to cut two. So the question of the film becomes, who could the third guy be? In fact, this is really the only plot element in a story where everything else is so linear that it's obvious from a mile off. And unfortunately in this case, it wouldn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out who the third guy is, given that there are so few contenders among the cast.

What is it about recent Spanish crime thrillers that a mistake atmosphere for gloom, and portentousness for plot? While you're pulling out that admittedly, rhetorical question, go watch something else.

Watch it with your friends! Make fun of it together!

[haleynieto · 5/10 · 27 March 2023]

This film is supposed to be taking place during peak pandemic, and I have to suspend my belief extremely high in order to believe that because, none of the characters that appear on screen are wearing masks (with exception for the few doctors that are present). The main characters are detectives and they should be wearing gloves during their explorations of crime scenes so as to not tamper with evidence/catch something but they have NO HAND COVERINGS AT ALL during the duration of the film. Another thing, the plot progression of the film feels slow and fast at the same time, like when you focus on the film it feels like nothing happens but then you turn your head for a second and the characters blaze through three different filming locations. It also feels like the director was doing too much by adding a human sacrificial cult/nefarious god layer to it.

Though there is one thing I can praise about the movie, it's the visuals. It looks like the film has a brown or orange filter over the camera the entire movie. Personally I don't have an issue with the monotone feel it gives the film but I can see how it could get annoying to other watchers. The orange filter gives it a gritty and almost black and white feeling to it. It feels like a college student's experimental art project and I'm all here for it. I love the camera angles that the film pushes for, some of the scenes are with the camera shoved in the middle of everything and other shots feel like a true audience, observers peering in.

I would not recommend this film to a friend or anyone for that matter, but this is a good movie to watch casually with a group of friends where you can all freely make the film together, like a bonding experience.

Infiesto (2023) A mediocre investigation

[claszdsburrogato · 5/10 · 8 April 2023]

Spanish cinema is very interesting and different, but this is not the case with Infiesto. The beginning of the film is very interesting and thought-provoking, but over time you become discouraged from watching it because you stay in the same place the whole time. The first act is wonderful, the second is very weak and the third could be much better. The outcome ends very quickly and this hinders the development of the investigation. The main characters are always serious and have no charisma, that is, following the two is very discouraging because they are shallow. They even try to delve into these characters by involving their family dramas, but that too is very shallow. Everything is shallow, almost nothing is interesting and that's why this film is so weak and mediocre.

Atmospheric thriller

[deniese-97971 · 8/10 · 7 February 2023]

Entertaining movie but if this was lockdown why are the main characters not wearing masks? This is a disappointing aspect of this movie especially the hospital scenes.

The dubbing is unusual and slightly off putting, and possibly meant for a British audience rather than international. The landscape appears as a sepia visual possibly to denote the uncertainty of the covid lockdown anxiety.

It is surreal to see no one on the roads, as the main characters piece together the mystery of the abducted girl.

But it develops nicely along with the added bonus of good music to interpret the mood of the story telling.

The description is better than the film

[tknmzombie · 5/10 · 30 July 2023]

The acting is quite good but they gave these poor people just poor scripting to deal with.

To hear them repeatedly say "stop police" and people actually stop. Like really? That doesn't happen.

As well our main protagonists wear the same clothes for the whole film...what is believed to be days and days. Now I know that we are supposed to believe that they are 2 police persons who are so determined to solve this case that they aren't sleeping. But also not showering or changing clothes???

And it seems they can get away with all sorts of suspect torture as well.

Maybe things are different in Spain.

But anyway... The description notes a girl just pops up that has been missing, and then they try to work backwards to find her kidnappers. And in doing so they find she is not the only child they have taken. And you find out along the way that they have been snatching up these preteens for ritual sacrifices.

At first you think it's a little girl who returns and then low and behold she's a teen??? Who knew?

I felt like the darn thing was taking forever to get anywhere. The underlings of the head honcho of this mini cult are happy to off themselves to make sure the Zaddy of this thing is safe. So I am sure the finale of this thing is some macho down and out between the male cop and the cult leader. I didn't stick it out.

Asturias and Luis Zahera!

[Guanche48 · 5/10 · 12 July 2023]

It's not bad, it keeps exciting until the end, although I can't give it more than 5 stars.

Too much negligence by the police makes it more exciting and also more frustrating, the movie tries to copy the crime thriller genre of other good movies, but it doesn't reach the level, they tried.

It's poorly executed and some actors, like Marta Castro, one of the police inspectors, are not very convincing in my opinion. On the other hand the actor Luis Zahera, Marquina in the movie, is my favorite, he is a greeeat actor that I know from other movies and series. It's a pity that he only has a small supporting role.

The theme about the covid in Spain is the worst, once again remembering the trauma that was experienced during the confinements in Spain, nothing relevant to the theme of the movie, I almost did not see it just for this, although I must say they didn't pushed the issue too much. So in my opinion it cannot be called a covid thriller, a terrible way to classify it, but a thriller filmed in Asturias, green Spain, and the most attractive thing about this movie.

IGNORE THE OTHER REVIEWS

[toralyoshida · 10/10 · 11 March 2023]

I don't know what's wrong with people these days what do these people expect when they watch a movie?!

This is an excellent mystery thriller!

Go for it and you won't regret!!

I don't know what's wrong with people these days what do these people expect when they watch a movie?!

This is an excellent mystery thriller!

Go for it and you won't regret!!

I don't know what's wrong with people these days what do these people expect when they watch a movie?!

This is an excellent mystery thriller!

Go for it and you won't regret!!

I don't know what's wrong with people these days what do these people expect when they watch a movie?!

This is an excellent mystery thriller!

Go for it and you won't regret!!

Here's some trivia

[silverton-37959 · 8/10 · 26 March 2023]

For a reviewer who assumed that the title translated to "infestation", the actual translation is "Haunted". This story is set during the early days of the plandemic, and some of the referrences include the fact that both detectives are dealing with being denied access to loved ones by authorities over the lockdown.

I really loved that the lead detective listened, stonefaced, to a patrol cop who found the victim of an abduction when the cop said something to the effect of: "You'd better wear a mask. This virus is serious". The detective just ignored him. Neither detective wore a mask, except when in the hospital and going into the intensive care unit to see the victim, which to me indicated that they were of above average intelligence. That part of their characterizations and the way the detective just ignored the beat cop is what made me give this one an 8 star rating.

I think that the way the story is set during the lockdown phase of what was being promoted as a worldwide pandemic was just a way of saying that criminals are still committing crimes, and the world is still turning, so investigating these crimes against women is more important than playing a game over an imaginary virus.

That's my take anyway.

The story is more about spiritual forces arrayed against mortals. Maybe you'd need to be Spanish to get how the occult applies to crimes like these. I don't know what's wrong with some of the reviewers here.