I hadn't had the chance to watch it yet, despite the good recommendations from friends and critics. Celda 211 is, for me, the confirmation, if we still needed one, that the Spanish film industry is ready to produce any kind of genre without making a fool of itself anymore. Many genres have proved to have a space in the, until the late 80s, very limited selection of genres that could deliver a solid Spanish film. The last twenty-five years have shown the world that Spain can make excellent films in genres so disarranged to the Spanish audiences as science fiction, adventures, horror, or now, prison film thriller. The only exportable films before was reduced to a small number of comedies and artsy dramas, with a few rare exception here and there. (I'm not counting B movies, since during the 70s and 80s Spain exported a ton of these movies).
Celda 211 is a fairly sound film. It has its defects, but they don't affect the overall result. The script is not very solid for once. There are a few weaknesses in it, as for example how does the protagonist, a regular young person, get so easily accepted by the horrific leader of the prison riots, Malamadre? What is his six months plus pregnant girlfriend doing in an out of control multitude protesting against riot police? Why does Utrilla (Antonio Resines), the most hatred guard in prison accept to go inside to negotiate knowing that the prisoners have witnessed what happened outside the prison? (He beats up the girlfriend in front of the cameras)
I could mention a few more, but the point is that, as bad as they sound, they do not affect the main goal of the film, which can both entertain and criticize the penitentiary system in Spain without making one or the other its focus point.
In any case, Celda 211 is an engaging film that deserves to sit down in from of the television to see, as my wife ironically says, “one of those uplifting endings of Spanish cinema.”
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