Are Critics in Agreement About Far from the Sea?

Critics strongly disagree about Far from the Sea. The 2015 Spanish film directed by Imanol Uribe received predominantly negative reviews following its San Sebastian Film Festival premiere, yet a vocal minority defended the film as a courageous exploration of forgiveness and trauma.

The Festival Reaction That Defined the Narrative

The film’s September 2015 screening at the San Sebastian Film Festival created an immediate divide. Multiple sources describe how the press screening audience reacted with laughter during dramatic scenes, with several critics leaving the theater messaging colleagues about the film’s perceived failures. One review noted that attendees nearly unanimously crowned it “the worst film of the festival.”

This initial reception set the tone for subsequent criticism. The Spanish film site El Antepenúltimo Mohicano reported that the film forced its discourse “to morally despicable extremes” in telling the story of a romance between a former ETA terrorist and the daughter of his victim. Critics at Fotogramas noted that while the first hour showed promise with its serene pacing and atmospheric storytelling, the film “goes wild in melodrama” in its second half, stretching credibility to its breaking point.

The Credibility Question That Divided Reviewers

The central point of contention involves the film’s premise. After Santi (Eduard Fernández), a former ETA member, is released from prison under the controversial Parot Doctrine, he encounters Marina (Elena Anaya), whose father he killed 27 years earlier when she was eight years old. Marina shoots him three times, then uses her medical training to save his life, and the two eventually develop an intense relationship.

For many critics, this narrative arc proved impossible to accept. FilmAffinity reviews described the characters as “implausible” and complained that the script never adequately explores their interior lives or motivations. The site Cine y Comedia went further, calling the film an “involuntary comedy” where situations “don’t stick together with glue.” One reviewer wrote that the film “ends up being what it wanted to avoid: a preposterous tale that borders on insult.”

The numbers reflect this skepticism. Far from the Sea holds a 4.8 rating on FilmAffinity (based on over 1,200 ratings) and a 5.3 on IMDB. These scores place it among Uribe’s lowest-rated works, a stark contrast to his acclaimed 1994 film Running Out of Time, which won eight Goya Awards including Best Film and Best Director.

The Defense: Complexity Over Comfort

A smaller but passionate group of critics and viewers offered a completely different interpretation. Multiple reviews on FilmAffinity counter the mainstream criticism directly, with one stating: “I’m not at all in agreement with the critics. This is a risky, unpretentious film that doesn’t suit these times of fragile generations. Totally recommendable.”

Another defender wrote: “Fascinating. I was left in pieces. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a complex film.” These supporters argue that critics demanding rational explanations for the characters’ actions miss the point entirely, since the film deals with irrational trauma responses and the psychology of extreme circumstances.

The most detailed defense came from the blog El Cine Era Esto, where reviewer Sergio Berbel called it “as brilliant and overwhelming as it is necessary and timely.” He praised the film’s “monstrous melodrama in the best sense of the term” and described Elena Anaya’s performance as “bordering on absolute perfection.” For these defenders, the film’s perceived excesses are intentional, exploring how trauma can suspend normal logic and create impossible situations.

Film critic José F. Pérez Pertejo acknowledged the divide while praising the ambition: “Far from the Sea is without doubt a brave, risky film with a vocation for controversy.” He noted that the film explores the contemporary status of ETA prisoners and the complex questions around forgiveness that Spanish society must eventually confront.

What Both Sides Agree On

Despite the sharp division, critics across the spectrum agreed on certain points. Eduard Fernández and Elena Anaya’s performances received near-universal praise, even from the film’s harshest critics. Decine21, while calling the film “completely failed,” acknowledged that both actors deliver committed work despite the material.

Most reviewers also recognized that the first act establishes an intriguing premise with restrained direction. Fotogramas noted “the composure of Elena Anaya and Eduard Fernández” as highlights, while several critics praised the atmospheric Cabo de Gata locations and cinematographer Gonzalo F. Berridi’s work.

There’s also consensus that Uribe takes genuine risks. Even those who found the film unsuccessful acknowledged that attempting to humanize both a terrorist and his victim while exploring their potential connection represents a daring choice in Spanish cinema, where ETA-related films often face intense scrutiny.

The Context That Complicates Judgment

Understanding the critical divide requires acknowledging the film’s sensitive subject matter. As the completion of Uribe’s informal trilogy about ETA (following The Death of Mikel and Running Out of Time), Far from the Sea arrived during a politically charged period. The Parot Doctrine referenced in the film was highly controversial in Spain, allowing ETA prisoners early release to significant public debate.

Several reviews suggest that some critics’ negative reactions stemmed not from cinematic failures but from discomfort with the film’s moral territory. One FilmAffinity user perceptively noted: “I’m surprised to read that critics against Far from the Sea demand more rational explanations for the story when what’s being discussed is something as irrational as killing in the name of an idea.”

The blog El Blog de Cine Español explicitly addressed the festival atmosphere’s impact: “I know from my own experience how everything can get distorted in a festival until an injustice is committed. The viewer is vulnerable, and that includes critics, especially in those environments. Someone laughs, mocks, or makes a comment and the contagion in the room is served.”

Where Critics Stand Now

The passage of time hasn’t resolved the disagreement. Reviews written years after the theatrical release continue to reflect the same split, with some viewers discovering the film and calling it underrated while others confirm their disappointment.

This polarization places Far from the Sea in the company of other divisive films that explore difficult moral questions through controversial means. Like Gaspar Noé’s Irreversible or Lars von Trier’s Dancer in the Dark, it’s a work that some consider deeply flawed and others view as misunderstood precisely because it refuses easy answers.

The critical consensus, then, is that there is no consensus. Far from the Sea remains one of contemporary Spanish cinema’s most contentious releases, with advocates and detractors holding diametrically opposed views about whether its exploration of forgiveness and trauma succeeds or fails spectacularly.

Key Points About the Critical Divide

Critics disagree fundamentally on Far from the Sea’s success, with majority negative reviews contrasting against passionate defenses. The main controversy centers on whether the victim-perpetrator relationship is psychologically credible or dramatically absurd. Both sides acknowledge strong performances from Eduard Fernández and Elena Anaya, and most agree the film takes genuine artistic risks. The sensitive ETA subject matter and festival screening conditions may have influenced some initial negative reactions. Rating aggregators show scores around 5/10, reflecting the divided response rather than unanimous judgment.