Both sprawling in its narrative reach and sophisticated in its technical execution, it's the filmmakers' most ambitious collective effort to date, hinting at an aptitude for more grand-scale mainstream fare.

It's fertile thematic ground, but as in most survival movies, showy feats of filmmaking take precedence over insight or revelation.

A profoundly involving, superbly played story about love as protection from fear.

It has some originality thanks to Antonio de la Torre's believable performance as a man living in isolation, but overall, as a historical drama, it quickly descends into an uninteresting and emotionally barren narrative exercise. [Full review in Spanish]