The Rock (La Roca) 2011
Distributed by Pragda, 302 Bedford Ave., #136, Brooklyn, NY 11249
Produced by Raul Santos
Directed by Raul Santos
DVD, color, 86 min.
College - General Adult
Europe, History
Date Entered: 08/05/2014
Reviewed by Alexander Rolfe, Technical Services Librarian, George Fox University, Newberg, ORThis documentary presents Gibraltar’s rocky relationship with Spain in the last half of the 20th century. What was once a thriving border region with plenty of commerce, contact, and intermarriage turned into a tragedy under Spain’s dictator, Franco. To force the ceding of Gibraltar to Spain, Franco instituted a sudden and total blockade in 1969. This cut families apart, killed jobs, and created misery for people on both sides of the border.
The story is painful and fascinating. It is told by people from both sides of the border, both young and old. Particularly interesting (and sad) is the testimony of one of Franco’s border guards, who spent years trying to stop the smugglers and enforce the blockade.
Cinematically there were some missteps; the intolerable noises at the beginning give it a budget-horror-movie feel, which mercifully stops early on. The foreboding interludes of the silent old woman making her journey interrupted an interesting storyline, and led to little. The filmmakers had plenty of emotional impact in their content, and didn’t need to use tricks like these to engage or hold the viewer’s interest. But these are minor complaints about a unique and worthwhile film about a Berlin-like tragedy.