Pheasant Island

• Asier Urbieta
• 98 min
• Spain
• 2025
• Fiction

When a dead body is found on the mysterious Pheasant Island, ethics, morals, civil courage, and relationships are put to the test for a young Basque couple in this thrilling and engaging debut.

Laida and Sambou live in Hendaye but are Spaniards, with him having African roots. At work, they make enormous carnival puppets. One day, they spot two refugees in trouble in the Bidasoa River, heading north, and they react completely differently. The event becomes a trigger for Laida, who becomes obsessed with identifying the men, while accusing Sambou of his passivity. Pheasant Island tells the story with complexity about an atmospheric border area where cultures and languages mix, and about a society that has lost its empathy and humanism. Jone Laspiur is magnificent as the increasingly angry Laida, and we also see Itziar Ituño (police officer Raquel Murillo in La casa de papel) in the cast. Extra points for the cathartic final scene, where the puppets take center stage.

- Camilla Larsson

• Drama
• Thriller
• Samhälle
• Kärlek
• Motstånd
• Rasism
• Politik