Late May marked the end of principal photography for El correo (lit. “The Courier”), the new feature by Daniel Calparsoro (the man behind the film Sky High [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Daniel Calparsoro
scheda film] as well as the series of the same name, the storylines of which are connected to this new opus), written by Patxi Amezcua (Infiesto) and Alejo Flah (Taxi a Gibraltar [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film]). It’s a thriller with hints of scathing comedy, starring Arón Piper (Fatum [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film]) and María Pedraza (Dancing on Glass and Money Heist), both of whom are youth idols thanks to the series Elite, as well as a familiar face in the director’s filmography, Luis Tosar (their most recent joint effort was Todos los nombres de Dios, which is pending release – see the news). They are flanked by Laura Sépul (the Belgian series Public Enemy), Nourdin Batán (the series La unidad [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda series]), José Manuel Poga (who appears in the recent release La fortaleza [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film]) and Luis Zahera (winner of a Goya this year for The Beasts [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Rodrigo Sorogoyen e Isabel…
scheda film]), among others.

According to the filmmaker, the movie depicts “the golden age that came after Spain joined the eurozone, and portrays the trials and tribulations of a young go-getter and his rise to power, from the street to the pinnacle of the corruption that reigned during the years of the real-estate bubble”. It’s a high-octane story about excess and delusions of grandeur, a reflection of a unique time in history. A tale in which the life of Iván, the main character, gets intertwined with the most emblematic moments in recent history. The shoot took place over six weeks on location in Madrid, Marbella, Brussels, Geneva and Hong Kong.

The plot whisks the viewer back to 2002, as Spain bids farewell to the peseta and adopts the new European currency, the euro. It’s a time of opportunity for smart guys like Iván, a bloke from Vallecas who is starting to find that his Madrilenian neighbourhood is getting too small for him. From his job as a parking attendant at a luxury golf club in the capital, he will soon take his biggest stride forward: becoming a Belgian runner for an international organisation that specialises in money laundering, for which he will start carrying briefcases to Brussels and Geneva. However, Iván can’t help but aim for the very top. Dirty money flows like wine on the Spanish Costa del Sol, via construction entrepreneurs, corrupt politicians, bankers, sportspeople, the Chinese mafia and countless others... And he wants his slice of the cake.

El correo is a production by Vaca Films, Panache Productions and La Compagnie Cinématographique, in association with Playtime Films. It boasts the involvement of Netflix, RTVE, Movistar Plus+, Canal+ and Ciné+, funding from the ICAA - Ministry of Culture and support from the European Union’s Creative Europe programme. Furthermore, it has received aid from the Belgian government’s Tax Shelter and the Movie Tax Invest Tax Shelter. The film will be distributed in Spain by Universal Pictures International Spain and will get an exclusive theatrical release in 2024.