# Unit 7

Unit 7 (Spanish: Grupo 7) is a 2012 Spanish crime drama- action thriller directed by Alberto Rodríguez. It was written by Rafael Cobos and Alberto Rodríguez and stars Antonio de la Torre and Mario Casas. The film was nominated for 16 Goya Awards.

## General description and themes

This atmospheric piece is set in Seville, Andalusia in the four years leading up to the 1992 Universal Exposition of Seville. It dramatizes the social changes experienced by the city in a major "before" and "after" the World Expo, honing in on the process of cleaning up the city, eliminating the drug dealing from the streets in preparation for the World Expo, from the point of view of four (and particularly two) police officers comprising the (fictitious) Unit 7, renowned for their exaggeratedly elevated drug bust rate.
The film discusses the concept of the end justifying the means, focusing on themes of corruption, police violence, the psychology behind the figures carrying it out, and the politics (embodied by the police chief and unseen politicians) giving them carte blanche to do so, while washing their hands of the dirty deeds, condemning their actions when scandals break and condoning them when major drug busts are successful. It also describes life in some of the (formerly) more sordid neighborhoods or slums of Seville, as well as the sense of community displayed by some of their inhabitants when they decide to fight back against. All of this is portrayed with the backdrop of the ginormous construction work being undertaken to build the World Expo grounds on the outskirts of the city, shown as an enormous, bulldozed wasteland with no construction ever being seen in action but rather idle machinery and only marginally built bridges and buildings.
It shows the police officers as people, where it is not so clear where right ends and wrong begins, people who are being both exceedingly brutal, and yet sometimes expressing great tenderness or love, and it shows how the group of four feeds from one another in an escalation of violence in the name of eliminating the drug scourge. The director states that the movie could also be seen as "the rise and fall of a band of gangsters, only our gangsters are on this side of the law".

## Plot

Unit 7 has a tough assignment: to clean the most dangerous drug trafficking networks out of the city and bring an end to the corrosive power that has taken hold of the streets. A detail of four, the unit is led by Ángel, a young officer aspiring to the rank of detective, and Rafael, a violent, arrogant, yet efficient cop.
But Unit 7's modus operandi is slipping outside the bounds of the law through their use of violence, coercion, lies and half-truths. For them, anything goes.
As they gain ground in their mission, the two officers head in opposite directions. Angel takes the path of ambition and police excess while Rafael will begin to change as a result of his feelings for beautiful, enigmatic Lucia.

## Cast

* Antonio de la Torre as Rafael
* Mario Casas as Ángel
* Joaquín Núñez [es] as Mateo
* José Manuel Poga as Miguel
* Julián Villagrán as Joaquín
* Inma Cuesta as Elena
* Lucía Guerrero [es] as Lucía
* Estefanía de los Santos as La Caoba
* Pedro Cervantes as Eulogio
* Alfonso Sánchez as Amador

## Production

The film was produced by Atípica Films, La Zanfoña and Sacromonte Films and it had the participation and support of Canal Sur Televisión, TVE, Canal+, AXN, Audiovisual SGR, Junta de Andalucía, ICO and ICAA.

## Release

Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Intl. España, the film was theatrically released in Spain on 4 April 2012.
It also screened on 20 April 2012 at the Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) in New York.

## Accolades

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| 2012 | 2012 Tribeca Film Festival | Best Cinematography - Special Jury Mention | Alex Catalán | Won |
| 2012 | 2012 Tribeca Film Festival | Best Narrative Feature | Alberto Rodríguez | Nominated |
| 2012 | 2012 Turia Awards | Special Award | Alberto Rodríguez | Won |
| 2012 | Neox Fan Awards 2012 | Best Spanish film | | Nominated |
| 2012 | Neox Fan Awards 2012 | Best Spanish film actress | Inma Cuesta | Nominated |
| 2013 | 18th Forqué Awards | Best Film | Best Film | Nominated |
| 2013 | 18th Forqué Awards | Best Actor | Antonio de la Torre | Nominated |
| 2013 | 68th CEC Medals | Best Film | Best Film | Nominated |
| 2013 | 68th CEC Medals | Best Director | Alberto Rodríguez | Nominated |
| 2013 | 68th CEC Medals | Best Actor | Antonio de la Torre | Won |
| 2013 | 68th CEC Medals | Best Supporting Actor | Julián Villagrán | Won |
| 2013 | 68th CEC Medals | Best Original Screenplay | Alberto Rodríguez, Rafael Cobos | Nominated |
| 2013 | 68th CEC Medals | Best Cinematography | Alex Catalán | Nominated |
| 2013 | 68th CEC Medals | Best Editing | José M. G. Moyano | Nominated |
| 2013 | 68th CEC Medals | Best Score | Julio de la Rosa | Nominated |
| 2013 | 68th CEC Medals | Best New Actor | Joaquín Núñez | Won |
| 2013 | 68th CEC Medals | Best New Actress | Estefanía de los Santos | Nominated |
| 2013 | 27th Goya Awards | Best Film | Best Film | Nominated |
| 2013 | 27th Goya Awards | Best Director | Alberto Rodríguez | Nominated |
| 2013 | 27th Goya Awards | Best Original Screenplay | Rafael Cobos and Alberto Rodríguez | Nominated |
| 2013 | 27th Goya Awards | Best Actor | Antonio de la Torre | Nominated |
| 2013 | 27th Goya Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Julián Villagrán | Won |
| 2013 | 27th Goya Awards | Best New Actor | Joaquín Núñez | Won |
| 2013 | 27th Goya Awards | Best New Actress | Estefanía de los Santos | Nominated |
| 2013 | 27th Goya Awards | Best Original Score | Julio de la Rosa | Nominated |
| 2013 | 27th Goya Awards | Best Production Supervision | Manuela Ocón | Nominated |
| 2013 | 27th Goya Awards | Best Cinematography | Álex Catalán | Nominated |
| 2013 | 27th Goya Awards | Best Art Direction | Pepe Domínguez del Olmo | Nominated |
| 2013 | 27th Goya Awards | Best Costume Design | Fernando García | Nominated |
| 2013 | 27th Goya Awards | Best Makeup and Hairstyles | Yolanda Piña | Nominated |
| 2013 | 27th Goya Awards | Best Editing | José M. G. Moyano | Nominated |
| 2013 | 27th Goya Awards | Best Sound | Daniel de Zayas Ramírez, Nacho Royo-Villanova, Pelayo Gutiérrez | Nominated |
| 2013 | 27th Goya Awards | Best Special Effects | Juan Ventura | Nominated |
| 2013 | 22nd Actors and Actresses Union Awards | Best Film Actor in a Leading Role | Antonio de la Torre | Won |
| 2013 | 22nd Actors and Actresses Union Awards | Best Film Actor in a Secondary Role | Julián Villagrán | Won |
| 2013 | 22nd Actors and Actresses Union Awards | Best Film Actor in a Minor Role | Alfonso Sánchez | Won |