SBS on Demand: The Plague

2018 Spanish drama The Plague will screen at SBS on Demand later this month.

In Spanish with English subtitles, it is described as a noir thriller set in 16th century Seville, when the corpses of several murdered people are found, as an omen of the end of the world.

All 6 episodes will be available.

The Black Death descends on Seville, one of the richest and most significant cities in the world. It is the doorway to Europe for migrants from the New World, and it is a city cloaked in Catholic piety. Pursuit of power is fuelled by fear and greed, and hypocrisy abounds. Convents are lax, brothels are regulated, and hospitals are used as graveyards. Mysticism and chaos rule.

Mateo (Pablo Molinero), a former heretic, must now return to the city that sentenced him to death to honour the dying wish of his best friend. On arrival in Seville, Mateo is arrested, but the Holy Office offers Mateo a proposal for absolution – solve the murders in the city which all seem to be part of a demonic ritual, and he will be pardoned. Mateo is soon drawn into a conspiracy which reaches the very heights of power in Seville. As the plague begins to consume the city, the walls are closed and the pursuit to find the murderer intensifies.

Steeped in intrigue and treachery, The Plague is a unique noir thriller, with edge-of-seat suspense, bringing things back to a complex time when public repression and private hedonism walked hand in hand. Cinematic, stylish, and with exceptional attention to detail, its period setting, combined with a contemporary pace, dramatically captures a chaotic era.

Thursday, 15 November 2018 on SBS On Demand