San Sebastian Review: Iciar Bollain’s ‘Maixabel’
Looking at a map of Spain, the Basque region seems to be tucked neatly into one corner, cozy as can be. On the ground, of course, it’s a different matter: the Pais Vasco has its own language, culture, food and politics, plus its own history of violence. ETA, the region’s equivalent to the IRA, assassinated more than 820 people over almost 50 years before declaring a ceasefire in 2011; the last shreds of the organization disbanded in 2018. It was the end of an era, but a huge legacy of bitterness remained. The assassinated were still mourned; on the ETA side, hundreds of convicted terrorists remain in jail.