This is a story about a friendship between two girls Katherina ( Sienna Guillory ) and Blanca ( Catalina Sandina Moreno ) from their childhood until youth . Tension rises in a little town from Andalucia where find the Rio Tinto mines ( Huelva ) . Then takes place the confrontation between employees and employers caused by contamination and work conditions ; being partially based on facts . A strike asking no more Teleros ( place where emerges toxic gas ) leads a spiral of blood and violence . Later on , in the 50s the British property mines were returned to Spain . The film is dedicated to memory everybody died in square of Rio Tinto.
This is a stirring drama with romance , betrayal , passion , and historical/political/social events . I don't understand why the English people are completely portrayed as ominous villains and heinous nasties when they are film's co-producers , perhaps for that reason resulted to be a flop in England . Casting is frankly cool , formed by British and Spanish actors . As the protagonists , Catalina Sandino Moreno ( Maria llena eres Gracia) as good girl , Sienna Guillory ( Resident Evil II , Eragon )as revolutionary youth and Philip Winchester ( Robinson Crusoe series ) as idealist guy . And secondary cast appears Bernard Hill ( Titanic ), Joaquin De Almeida as the mean magnate , Javier Perugorria as the Mayor , Fernando Ramallo as striker and Juan Fernandez as ominous hoodlum . Colorful cinematography by Javier Salmones ( Romasanta , Butterfly tongue ) and emotive score by Fernando Orti . The motion picture is professionally directed by Antonio Cuadri who was born in Huelva ( Andalucia ) location where are the mines . He is a fine craftsman with some hit , such as ¨La Gran Vida ( with Salma Hayek) ¨ and previously made a documentary titled ¨Riotinto (2004)¨. Nowadays , he only directs TV episodes ( Cuentame, Manolito Gafotas , among them).
