At
a time when many of us are confined to our homes, I can recommend a
Netflix film that will put a stop to any complaints or feelings of
self-pity.
The Endless Trench is a Spanish film which tells the story of Higinio (played by Antonio de
la Torre) hiding in his own home for thirty years, and successfully
evading his Francoist enemies with heroic help from his wife Rosa
(Belén Cuestas).
The
film begins in 1936 at the start of the Spanish Civil War. Living in
an Andalusian village, the newlyweds are forced to make a temporary
subterranean living space beneath the floor of their living room.
Higinio had been a Republican village councillor and
must hide from a fascist execution squad who had assassinated the
other Republicans in his village.
Aided
by Rosa, his hiding continues for 33 years. After amnesty was granted
in 1969 to these topos (moles), Higinio emerges into the
light.
The
Endless Trench directors, Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño and Jose Mari
Goenaga were encouraged to make the movie with the rise of the far
right and the Vox Party in Spain. They wanted their film, released
last year, to contribute to the political debate there. Areggi said,
“Our film proposes that everyone hides things from each other, and
that these conflicts are always there, even if they’re beneath the
surface as its message—its warning—is universal.”
Fascism
does not arrive politely. Its weapons are subterfuge, violence and
fear. Its practitioners, like General Franco, are ‘career
psychopaths’. And it’s worth noting that Higinio was not a
communist or a revolutionary. He had been a Social Democrat.
