In a year filled with all sorts of horrors, HBO Spain presents 30 coins from director Alex de la Iglesias.
A gloomy tale set in remote Spain about a priest and some strange occurrences in the small town he’s exiled himself to. We start our story with the kind of guns-blazing action to snap your head right into attention. A strange man robs a safe in Switzerland and a too cool for school sunglasses-wearing priest is waiting for him in the getaway car.
Then in Spain, a cow gives birth, which ends up inciting fear in the townsfolk present after taking a look at the offspring. The town mayor Paco, played by the smoldering Miguel Ángel Silvestre, is called to the scene to help find a solution. They seek out a mysterious priest, Padre Vergara (Eduard Fernández), interrupting his aggressive pummeling of a boxing bag. Padre Vergara isn’t your typical gentle priest character clutching beads in the silence, he’s a cigarette smoking ass-kicking tío (uncle) with an arsenal hidden behind his religious altar.
The hints this premiere gave at more action by his hands excites me. Elena, the woman also helping the investigation, finds herself in the possession of a coin that could possibly be filled with an evil Italian spirit. This coin relates to an experience had by Padre Vergara during one of his days being an exorcist. After this tragedy, Vergara runs off to this remote town in hopes he’d escape the awful experience, however, that is easier said than done.
I particularly enjoyed 30 Coins for the occult paired with religious motifs. The juxtaposition of Catholic themes and the fight against Satan is something that is expressed heavily in Roman Catholic iconography. For background, the churches in Spain stem from Roman Catholic rule since the 1st century. The morbid nature of religious art is a theme I’m looking forward to seeing explored with the strange creatures and ghouls that this first episode reveals. Overall, this is an exciting start to a well-acted series and I can’t wait to keep up with it.
30 Coins episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now on HBO with new episodes releasing every Monday at 9pm ET.
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