SILVER

[EL SUSTITUTO]
Based on a true story and set on Spain's Costa Blanca in the early 1980s, Spanish director Óscar Aibar's (EL BOSC, THE GREAT VAZQUEZ) expertly calibrated historical thriller mixes genre tropes and political intrigue to explore small-town Spain in the immediate post-Franco era. Taking place against the backdrop of the 1982 parliamentary elections, THE REPLACEMENT follows Andrés Expósito (Ricardo Gómez), a young police officer who accepts a new post in a sleepy seaside village after years worn down by patrolling Madrid's most crime-ridden neighborhoods. Expecting a fresh start — and hoping to improve both his young daughter's health and his faltering marriage — Andrés soon finds himself unexpectedly swept up in the investigation into the mysterious death of his predecessor. It becomes apparent that the calm veneer of the quiet little town is hiding some sinister secrets — and some even more sinister inhabitants. With drug deals, political corruption, international espionage and Nazi war criminals in the mix, this fast-paced whodunit impressively morphs into a multi-layered portrait of a society in the midst of upheaval at a fraught time in Spanish and European history. Official Selection, 2021 Málaga Film Festival. DIR/SCR Óscar Aibar; SCR María Luisa Calderón; PROD Gerardo Herrero. Spain/Belgium, 2021, color, 117 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED

No AFI Silver Member passes accepted.