''The Replacement'' ( es, El sustituto, links=no) is a 2021 Spanish–Belgian

thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by Óscar Aibar. It stars Ricardo Gómez,

Vicky Luengo Vicky Luengo (born 7 April 1990) is a Spanish film, television and stage actress. Biography She was born on 7 April 1990 in Palma de Mallorca, but after fours years she moved with her mother and brother to Barcelona, where she was raised. She ...

and

Pere Ponce Pere Ponce Alifonso (born 1964) is a Spanish actor from Catalonia. He earned early public recognition for the 1992 romantic comedy film ''Amo tu cama rica''. He has featured in television series such as ''Cuéntame cómo pasó'' and '' Merlí''. ...

Plot

It is set in 1982. A police officer from

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

moves to the coast. He gets involved in an investigation that takes him to a community of

nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

s enjoying their retirement in the Costa Blanca.

Cast

Production

A joint Spain–Belgium co-production, ''The Replacement'' was produced by Tornasol, Voramar Films S.L., Isaba Producciones Cinematográficas A.I.E. and Entre Chien et Loup with the participation of

RTVE The Corporación de Radio y Televisión Española, S.A. (; ), known as Radiotelevisión Española or RTVE, is the state-owned public corporation that assumed in 2007 the indirect management of the Spanish public radio and television service know ...

, À Punt Media, the collaboration of

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and support from ICAA and ICV Generalitat Valenciana. The film was written by Óscar Aibar (the director) alongside María Luisa Calderón. The crew was completed by the likes of ( DOP), Uxua Castelló (

art direction Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the visi ...

), and Teresa Font (editing). It was shot in Dénia and other locations across the Valencia region. Filming began by mid September 2020. The film had a budget over 2.8 million €.

Release

''The Replacement'' was presented at the 24th

Málaga Film Festival The Málaga Film Festival, formerly Málaga Spanish Film Festival (FMCE), is an annual film festival held in Málaga, Spain. The festival was established to promote Spanish cinema and help disseminate information about Spanish films. Since 2017, ...

(FCME) on 7 June 2021, as part of the festival's official selection. It was also screened at the 36th . Distributed by Karma Films, the film was theatrically released in Spain on 29 October 2021.

Reception

Pere Vall of '' Fotogramas'' gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, considering it to be "an austere and impeccable recreation of 1980s Spain", highlighting Pere Ponce's performance. Beatriz Martínez of '' El Periódico de Catalunya'' gave it 3 out of 5 stars, deeming it a "good thriller", but also a reflection on "the miseries of our times" and the rise of the

far right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

. Raquel Hernández Luján of ''

HobbyConsolas ''HobbyConsolas'' is a Spanish video game magazine founded in 1991 by Hobby Press and published by Axel Springer SE. The first issue appeared in October 1990. The monthly magazine offers information about games for all consoles, and since 2012 ha ...

'' gave the film 60 out of 100 points, praising the good recreation of the 1980s (owing to production design and art direction) while negatively assessing the "overly stilted" performances as well as the "clumsy" and "predictable" resolution. Carmen L. Lobo of '' La Razón'' gave it 3 out of 5 stars, writing that it was "superbly set", and that it constituted "a sober, dry and razor-sharp" film. Anton Merikaetxebarria of ''

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'' gave it 2 out of 3 stars, considering it to be a "different, timely and interesting film".

Awards and nominations

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References

External links

''The Replacement''
at ICAA's ''Catálogo de Cinespañol'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Replacement (2021 film), The 2021 films 2021 thriller films Films set in 1982 Films set in Spain Spanish thriller films Belgian thriller films Films shot in the Valencian Community Films about Nazi fugitives Films shot in the province of Alicante Films set in the Mediterranean Sea Tornasol Films films 2020s Spanish-language films 2020s Spanish films