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Now that a foreign film has won the Academy Award for Best Picture, I like to think that more moviegoers will work through their fear of subtitles to seek out more great films from other countries. You can check out a French drama…or a Norwegian comedy…or maybe even a Romanian thriller like The Whistlers (La Gomera).
The Whistlers follows a Romanian cop as he becomes more and more involved with the criminals he’s supposed to investigate. Cristi (Vlad Ivanov) knows that his superiors suspect him of wrongdoing—that his apartment is under surveillance. So when a femme fatale named Gilda (Catrinel Marlon) shows up to ask for his help, they have to put on a show. Gilda then sends Cristi to La Gomera in the Canary Islands, where he’s trained to communicate using silbo—a whistled version of Spanish—so they can work together to get one of their associates released from prison.
As Cristi tries to juggle his work with the narcotics division with helping a band of money-laundering drug lords stay out of prison, things get increasingly complicated—as does the film’s storytelling. Admittedly, this might not be the best starter film for those who are new to foreign films. The story is loaded with twists, and it makes some pretty huge leaps chronologically without warning—so if you’re not paying close attention, you could find yourself feeling somewhat lost and confused.
In the midst of the twists and turns and subtitles, though, you’ll get to see everything from a new perspective. The story of the crooked cop may feel rather familiar, but this isn’t just another Hollywood cop movie. It’s gritty yet offbeat, with unexpected settings and scenarios—not the least of which is the addition of the whistled language used to communicate. In Cristi’s world, though, corruption is common. No one is especially trustworthy—to the point that the police department feels the need to spy on their own people. And the corruption and alliances and arrangements make for a complicated and challenging yet intriguing Romanian crime thriller.
If you’re looking for a good foreign film for beginners, this might not be the best place to start. There’s a whole lot going on here—and it’s not always easy to follow while you’re also tackling the subtitles. But if you’re looking for a new take on the same old cop movie, you’ll definitely find something new and unusual in this uncommon adventure.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
