La Noche de los girasoles (The Night of the Sunflowers) [Spanish Import - Region 2] [DVD]

brilliant thriller with gradual unfolding of the details behind the rape/murder of a Spanish girl being shown from the angle of a number of protagonists. A frustrated salesman triggers off this intricate and somewhat violent history, with input from a couple of cavers, an isolated Spanish farmer, a mad goat herder (this guy's seriously funny) and a corrupt immoral handsome young Spanish policeman. The setting is a semi deserted village in the Castillian uplands, where many former inhabitants have left in search of a better life in the modern commercial built-up areas of the country. The mystery is ultimately scrupulously unravelled by the experience and acumen of an old policeman who happens to be the father in law of the young one. A compelling story, told in an intriguing manner - blood, gore, violence? yes - but also poignancy, humour and innocence. Far far better than I was led to believe by the reviews I have found on the internet. Some strong (Spanish) language which is not always translated accurately!!!!

This film is a very complex drama. The story is told also in a no sequential way, but with some flashbacks. The philosophy behind this movie is I think, to explain one of "these unexplainable crimes committed by normal ¿? people" son frequent in modern society.
Summing up: in the province of Avila, from Castilla la Vieja, in the interior Spain, there's an abandoned village when only rests four- five people including a post of the Guardia Civil, the other inhabitants having emigrate to big capitals. This is a reality in Spain when the rural life has now very little people.
But that's a beautiful lonely place in the countryside, and between other interests it has a cave for speleology and possible exploitation as rural tourism, so, Esteban, his bride Gabi and Pedro a friend photographer, three young people from Madrid, go there to see the cave and the village. Esteban and Pedro go to explore the cave while Gabi rest alone near his 4x4 car.
But then, she suffers an attempt of rape by an itinerant salesman of industrial products who sees her from his car while driving by the main road. There's a furious fight and Gabi wounds the salesman in a hand with a knife. His attacker escapes and Gabi rests with a strong nervous shock climbing to his 4x4, and crashing against a tree.
Esteban and Pedro returns from the cave and finds Gabi almost unable to speak and explain what happened. The attacking salesman was dressed with a common white shirt.
But one of the few inhabitants of that village is Amadeo, a man also dressed with a white shirt, more or less similar to the criminal. He returns walking to his home after doing some shopping in the only local little market. So, Amadeo is wrongly identified as the rapist by the three raging people and, without mediating any word, they attack him.
But Amadeo defends himself with a big fork and a shotgun. Esteban and Pedro results wounded, but they kill Amadeo in a speedy furious fight. Only then, Gabi recognizes Amadeo isn't his attacker and they warns the Guardia Civil.
These Guardias are only two policemen, Cecilio, a veteran corporal and Tomas a common young guard. Tomas is also married with Cecilio's daughter: he's tired to living in so lonely place and also, worried from his wife. He's who goes to see the killing. But after recognizing all that was a fatal error, Tomas makes a proposition: as Amadeo lived absolutely alone, he will accept a bribe of 90000 euro to lie, testify fraudulently and say the victim has disappeared by unknown reasons. Esteban disagree, but Tomas is terrorized and Gabi convinces Esteban in saying she's unable to suffer the jail and destroy his life as a couple. They clean the blood of the house of Amadeo, throws the corpse into the cave and go to Madrid to join the money. Tomas lies to Cecilio, a right man, who at first believes the version of his subordinate and son-in law.
But there lives also Amos, a specie of strange madman, neighbour of Amadeo. He begins to say effectively Amadeo is murdered, (he truly has saw the corpse in an interval) but his dubious mind, as he says he passes many time alone in the woods and hears voices from the cemetery, induces to suspicion. However, Cecilio, the experienced corporal begins to suspect Tomas has lied. His daughter is pregnant, but she says Tomas doesn't loves her nor his future son.
At end, Cecilio has to clear all the obscure facts, excepting the identity of the main criminal. In a tense night scene, Cecilio burns in the country the 90000 euro of the bribe, lets escape the three young people, and presents his resignation as policeman while says Tomas he goes to lie also but only for his daughter, and lets very clear to Tomas he never, never wants to hear or spoke anything in his resting life from that dark incident. The real criminal escapes freely, returning with his wife.
An excellent film very credible about the psychological and moral barriers all we have in an extreme situation ever possible.