''Cell 211'' () is a 2009 Spanish-French

prison film A prison film is a film genre concerned with prison life and often prison escape. These films range from acclaimed dramas examining the nature of prisons, such as '' A Man Escaped'', ''Cool Hand Luke'', '' Midnight Express'', ''Brubaker'', '' Esca ...

directed by

Daniel Monzón Daniel Monzón Jerez (born 1968) is a Spanish screenwriter and director. Biography He was born in Palma, Majorca in 1968. He started as a film critic, collaborating with the magazine ''Fotogramas''. He also featured alongside as reviewer in ...

from a screenplay by Monzón and

Jorge Guerricaechevarría Jorge Guerricaechevarría (born 10 July, 1965), also known as "Guerrica", is a Spanish screenwriter. A regular co-screenwriter for Álex de la Iglesia's films, he has also been a recurring collaborator of Daniel Monzón. He won a Goya Award for ...

and based on the 2003 novel of the same name by Francisco Pérez Gandul. The film stars

Luis Tosar Luis López Tosar (born 13 October 1971) is a Spanish actor from Galicia. He is one of the most recognizable and versatile actors in Spain. He landed his film debut in '' Atilano for President'' (1998), followed by other roles in feature fil ...

Alberto Ammann José Alberto Ammann Rey (born 1978) is an Argentine and Spanish actor. He has played various roles in films, television and theater. His feature film debut in '' Cell 211'' (2009) earned him a Goya Award for Best New Actor. Other film works i ...

Antonio Resines Antonio Fernández Resines (born 7 August 1954) is a Spanish film and television actor. Resines made his feature film debut in 1980 in ''La paloma azul'', also featuring in '' Opera prima'' and ''La mano negra''. He gained early notoriety in th ...

, Manuel Morón,

Carlos Bardem Carlos Encinas Bardem (born 7 March 1963) is a Spanish actor and writer. He is often cast in "tough guy" roles, if not outright villains. In addition to his native Spain, he was worked in film and television in Latin America and the United State ...

Luis Zahera José Luis Castro Zahera (born 23 May 1966) is a Spanish actor from Galicia. He is known for his performances in supporting roles in Galician and Spanish films and television series. Biography José Luis Castro Zahera was born on 23 May 19 ...

, Vicente Romero, Fernando Soto, and

Marta Etura Marta Etura Palenzuela (born on 28 October 1978) is a Spanish film and television actress. She is known for '' Your Next Life'' (2004), '' Cell 211'' (2009), '' Sleep Tight'' (2011), and '' The Invisible Guardian'' (2017). Biography Etura was ...

. In the film, rookie prison

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

Juan Oliver (Ammann) is forced to go undercover as a prisoner after he becomes embroiled in a

riot A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The p ...

led by Malamadre (Tosar).

Plot

Juan Oliver reports to work as a prison guard a day early. During his tour of the prison, a falling projectile knocks him unconscious and he is rushed to Cell 211. The projectile is revealed to be a diversion to allow the convicts to

and hijack control of the prison. Aware of the impending violence, Juan's colleagues flee and leave him in the cell. When Juan awakens in the midst of the chaos, he pretends to be new inmate convicted of

homicide Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...

. He is brought to the leader of the riot, Malamadre, who takes Juan under his wing after Juan suggests variations to the riot which will better equip the prisoners for negotiation. In reality, Juan seeks to keep channels of communication alive with the other guards and an incoming GEO team, who are preparing to storm the prison. Malamadre discovers that

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

terrorists Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

associated with

ETA Eta ( ; uppercase , lowercase ; ''ē̂ta'' or ''ita'' ) is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the close front unrounded vowel, . Originally denoting the voiceless glottal fricative, , in most dialects of Ancient Greek, it ...

are being held in the prison, and seeks to use them as a political bargaining chip during negotiation. As news of the riot become public, a succession of other riots and demonstrations in the Basque Country follow. Afraid of political ramifications within the Basque Country, Spanish ministers hold back on exercising GEO interference, leaving Juan alone in the prison. Juan's pregnant wife, Elena, learns about the riot and heads for the prison; there, protestors related to the inmates fight with police, causing Elena to be hit by an officer. A television inside the prison shows the news footage to the prisoners, revealing to Juan that Elena was at the protest. Fearful for her safety, Juan attempts to contact the guards, while Malamadre demands information of all those injured. The authorities respond with a list of four names; infuriated, Malamadre decide to kill one of the ETA prisoners. However, Juan intervenes and suggest they cut off an ear, an act he is forced to perform. The authorities then provide additional information on the injured and Juan is told Elena is in the hospital, but recovering. Juan insists on talking to her but is rebuffed. Utrilla, the police guard who hit Elena, is suspended. Apache, an inmate close to Malamadre, learns the truth about Juan after contacting a friend in the police through a smuggled cell phone. He tells Juan he will give him a chance to defend himself before letting Malamadre know. Later, Malamadre has Apache tell Juan that he needs to speak to him. He shows Juan footage from a protestor's cell phone, showing Elena being beaten by Utrilla. Juan insists Utrilla be brought in the prison, where he is confronted by Juan. Juan again insists on talking to Elena, but he learns she and her unborn child have died. In response, the prisoners viciously beat Utrilla until he reveals Juan is a prison guard. He asks Juan to tell the truth; instead, Juan slits Utrilla's throat. Malamadre goes against advice to kill Juan, stating he does not believe Utrilla and that Juan's murder of Utrilla showcases his commitment to the prisoner's fight. Juan fails in a

suicide attempt A suicide attempt is an act in which an individual tries to kill themselves but survives. Mental health professionals discourage describing suicide attempts as "failed" or "unsuccessful", as doing so may imply that a suicide resulting in death is ...

in his cell. Malamadre receives a call from the police negotiator, who gives him Juan's employment records, confirming Utrilla's claim, and asks him to work with them in exchange for release. Malamadre still refuses to kill Juan. The government tell Malamadre they agree to his demands. Juan drags Utrilla's corpse in front of the government liaison and insists the government publicly agree, or they will kill the ETA prisoners. Malamadre tells Juan if the GEO team invades instead of a public agreement, he will either die, or kill Juan for his betrayal. As the GEO team quench the riot once they storm the prison, Apache kills Juan and severely injures Malamadre, who then works with the government against Apache.

Cast

Production

The screenplay was adapted from the homonymous novel by set during a prison riot. The film was produced by Vaca Films, Morena Films and

Telecinco Cinema Telecinco Cinema, S.A.U. is the film production division of Mediaset España. It produces both feature films and television films. History Telecinco Cinema is a subsidiary film company of Mediaset España. Formerly known as Estudios Picasso, the ...

alongside Le Fabrique 2 and TVG. The film was fully shot in Zamora, most notably in the old prison of Zamora, unused since the 1980s and revamped for the occasion.

Reception

Critical response

The film has received highly positive reviews from international film critics. ''Cell 211'' has an approval rating of 98% on

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, based on 45 reviews, and an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's critical consensus states: "A uniquely sharp, well-acted prison drama, ''Cell 211'' avoids exploitative thrills in favor of expertly ratcheted tension.

Accolades

An artistic success, the film won eight

Goya Awards The Goya Awards () are Spain's main national annual film awards. They are presented by the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain. The first ceremony was held in 1987, a year after the founding of the Academy of Cinematographic Ar ...

, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (

) and Best Adapted Screenplay. , - , rowspan = "21" align = "center" , 2010 , , rowspan = "16" ,

, , colspan = "2" ,

Best Film The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...

, , , , rowspan = "16" , , - ,

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * As ...

, , Daniel Monzón , , , - , Best Actor , , Luis Tosar , , , - , Best Supporting Actress , , Marta Etura , , , - , rowspan = "2" , Best Supporting Actor , , Carlos Bardem , , , - , Antonio Resines , , , - , Best Adapted Screenplay , , Jorge Guerricaechevarría, Daniel Monzón , , , - , Best New Actor , , Alberto Ammann , , , - , Best Original Score , , Roque Baños , , , - , Best Production Supervision , , Alicia Tellería , , , - ,

Best Cinematography The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best ...

, , Carles Gusi , , , - , Best Editing , , Mapa Pastor , , , - ,

Best Art Direction The Academy Award for Best Production Design recognizes achievement for art direction in film. The category's original name was Best Art Direction, but was changed to its current name in 2012 for the 85th Academy Awards. This change resulted fro ...

, , Antón Laguna , , , - , Best Makeup and Hairstyles , , Raquel Fidalgo, Inés Rodríguez , , , - ,

Best Sound The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...

, , Sergio Burmann, Jaime Fernández, Carlos Faruolo , , , - , Best Special Effects , , Raúl Romanillos, Guillermo Orbe , , , - , rowspan = "5" ,

19th Actors and Actresses Union Awards The 19th Actors and Actresses Union Awards ceremony was held on 29 March 2010 at the Circo Price, Teatro Circo Price in Madrid. In addition to the competitive awards Sahrawi activist Aminatou Haidar, Amainetu Haidar received the '' award, Aurora ...

, , Best Film Actor in a Leading Role , , Luis Tosar , , , , rowspan = "5" , , - , Best Film Actor in a Secondary Role , , Carlos Bardem , , , - , Best Film Actress in a Minor Role , , Marta Etura , , , - , Best Film Actor in a Minor Role , , Luis Zahera , , , - , Best New Actor , , Alberto Ammann , ,

References

External links

* {{Goya Award for Best Film 2009 films Spanish action drama films 2000s Spanish-language films Best Film Goya Award winners 2009 action drama films Films featuring a Best Actor Goya Award–winning performance Films featuring a Best Supporting Actress Goya Award–winning performance 2000s prison drama films Telecinco Cinema films Films scored by Roque Baños Films with screenplays by Jorge Guerricaechevarría Films produced by Álvaro Augustin Films produced by Javier Ugarte Morena Films films Vaca Films films Films based on Spanish novels Films shot in the province of Zamora 2000s Spanish films 2000s prison films Spanish prison films Basque conflict films