Plenilune (1999) Plenilunio

Director: Imanol Uribe
Stars: Miguel Ángel Solá, Adriana Ozores, Juan Diego Botto

Romance and murder walk side by side in this psychological drama from Spain. A serial killer has been plying his grisly trade in a small town in Spain, murdering young girls and leaving their bodies in a nearby forest. A police inspector is sent in to investigate - his first case outside tumultuous Basque County in 14 years. The detective has problems dealing with the stress of his job, and he finds little consolation in his off hours: he's been fighting a drinking problem for some time, and his wife is in a mental hospital after murder threats against him led her to a nervous breakdown. As the inspector looks at the evidence in the latest killing with the help of Ferreras, the city's coroner, he pays a visit to the school where the victim was studying. There he meets Susana Grey, a teacher and single mother whose husband left her several years earlier to run off with Ferreras' former girlfriend. The inspector and Susana display an immediate interest in each other, and soon find themselves edging into a tentative romance, while the detective tries to stay on the trail of the murderer. Plenilunio was screened in competition at the 2000 San Sebastian Film Festival.

Director Imanol Uribe, working on a novel by Antonio Munoz Molina, which we haven't read, helped with the adaptation of Elvira Lindo. The result is a somber picture of a man who is fighting a conflict within himself and must make decisions based on a possible happiness, or stay in a loveless marriage while trying to bring justice to the place he has chosen to live.

The best thing in the film is Miguel Angel Sola. He makes us believe he is Manuel fighting all the demons inside him. Juan Diego Botto does a fine job also in the movie. Adriana Ozores plays Susana. Fernando Fernan Gomez has a brief role of a friendly priest. Charo Lopez, Chete Lera and Maria Galina have also good moments.

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