Irish Film Institute -King of the Hill

King of the Hill

Director: Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego

spain • 2007 • subtitled colour • 88 mins


Someone or something is shooting unsuspecting drivers from a remote mountaintop in King of the Hill, a wilderness thriller with an unexpected streak of social conscience. Director Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego draws inspiration from such divergent sources as Deliverance and Michael Haneke, crafting an immersive scenario in which his Everyman central character, Quim (Leonardo Sbaraglia), and the audience alike must figure out the conditions for staying alive as they go. Quim is on his way to patch things up with his ex-girlfriend when, confronted with the beautiful Bea (Maria Valverde) at a petrol station en route, he indulges in a passionate lavatory quickie. The mysterious stranger swipes his wallet and disappears, leaving Quim disoriented, but that’s nothing compared to the surprise that awaits him a few miles down the road, when a well-concealed sniper shoots his motor. Running for his life, he passes Bea, but isn’t sure he can trust her. Is she in on it? Who is trying to kill them and why?

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