I recently, in my review of Maareesan, expressed my disapproval of films that exploit sexual violence in an attempt to appear technically impressive. Crimes against women have long been rampant and grievous, and rape—being especially appalling—should be portrayed with careful sensitivity in cinema. Movies like Maareesan and Maharaja, however, shift the attention away from the crime and focus on the director's "technical brilliance." This leaves a pungent taste in your mouth, as you can't help but feel the real issue is being trivialized. I wanted to puke after watching Maareesan and Maharaja — they are extremely offensive. Something like Two Graves/Dos tumbas, on the other hand, feels so half-baked and silly that it's hard to even be offended by it. The revenge thriller miniseries, created by Agustín Martínez, is worse than the two Tamil films. It's about two friends, Marta (Zoé Arnao) and Veronica (Nadia Vilaplana), who disappear during the St. Anthony's fair only to be found a few days later as dead bodies. Let me rephrase that sentence: Only Marta's corpse is retrieved, and police confirm she was raped and killed. What about Veronica? No one knows where she is. The two girls were last seen with a boy who gave them a lift. Did he do something? Is he guilty? What about Beltrán (Carlos Scholz), Isabel's (Kiti Mánver) student? He mentions an earring, which means he met the girls during the fateful night. Is he the culprit?
The answers, when they arrive, appear frivolous and futile. They undermine the gravity of the sexual assault and take a turn towards something vapid. Sure, we see what parents can do to ensure the safety of their child, but some things come across as bizarre, and I cannot discuss them without getting into the spoiler territory (you have been warned). Veronica, you see, is revealed to be alive. She accidentally kills Marta, and Antonio (Hovik Keuchkerian) helps her cover up the crime because Marta's father, Rafael (Álvaro Morte), is...a shady guy. When the accident occurred, another girl was present with Marta and Veronica. Later, she and Veronica end up in a romantic relationship. But—but—how did this happen? How did Veronica even convince that girl to be with her? What did they talk about? Surely they must have discussed the details of that ugly night, but what did they say to each other? What were each of their perspectives? Two Graves merely dispenses information about Veronica's new life through three or four dull expository lines, and does so hastily. In fact, the whole show jumps from one expository line to another expository line. This is why Lupe's (Nonna Cardoner) troubles are not shown. They are, instead, made evident through dialogues that sound generic. Morte's rock-solid, stern face carries you through rough patches for some time, but the expressions soon devolve into monotony. Two Graves is empty, clumsy, and a complete waste of time. "Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves"—that's the quote that appears at the end of the series. Two Graves, it seems, was made simply to justify that sentence. I bet the ending was written first, and the rest of the plot was hastily assembled to validate the climax. No wonder the series comes across as ridiculous. Martínez might as well have dug a third grave—for himself.
Final Score- [1/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
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Publisher at Midgard Times