Negotiator (2014 film)

Negotiator is a 2014 Spanish film written and directed by Borja Cobeaga which stars Ramón Barea.

Plot

The plot follows the plight of Basque politician Manu Aranguren, the contact person in the negotiations between ETA and the Spanish government.

Production

The film was produced by Sayaka Producciones, and it had the participation of ETB, the Basque Government, and Canal+. Shooting locations included San Sebastián.

Release

Negotiator was presented in the 'Zabaltegi' section of the 62nd San Sebastián Film Festival in September 2014. Distributed by Avalon, it was released theatrically in Spain on 13 March 2015.

Reception

Neil Young of The Hollywood Reporter considered Negotiator a "briskly amusing" film, otherwise writing that "droll peek behind political headlines is elevated by strong, engaging performances".
Ricardo Aldarondo of Fotogramas rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, writing about the film's "bravery and insight".
Andrea G. Bermejo of Cinemanía rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, deeming it to be Cobeaga's "least 'funny' comedy but his most brilliant film" in the verdict.
Javier Ocaña of El País billed the film as "a historic film for our cinema and for our society" pursuing "a painful, black, brilliant, tragic and atrocious humor, about the deformation of language, about the miseries of the recent history of the Basque Country, about the miseries of the human race".