The Island of Lies

The Island of Lies

Spain, 1921. A terrible shipwreck kept secret for far too long

2020 · 94 min · ★ 5.6 · Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Galicia, northern Spain, January 2, 1921. The steamship Santa Isabel, sailing towards Argentina with more than two hundred emigrants on board, sinks off the coast of Sálvora Island. Three island women, María, Josefa and Cipriana, who have bravely set sail aboard a fragile skiff to save the shipwrecked, are treated as heroes by the cynical authorities; but León, an inquisitive and tenacious Argentinean journalist, starts asking uncomfortable questions.

Directed by Paula Cons · Written by Paula Cons

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Rent or Buy

Cast

Make it a double feature

3h 32m together

The Island of Lies

12 Mighty Orphans

A close match in mood and era.

More from Paula ConsSee all →

Where Is Marta?

Where Is Marta? · 2021

Where Is Marta?

SeriesDocumentaryCrime

Teenager Marta del Castillo's disappearance made headlines in Spain. Family, friends, police and more weigh in on a case that is still unresolved.

Dirty Wolves

Dirty Wolves · 2016

MovieDramaHistory

Galicia, Spain, during the Second World War The life of Manuela, a mysterious miner who was branded a witch, changes with the arrival of an Allied commando, in charge of sabotaging the production of tungsten, a vital mineral for the continuity of the war effort of Nazi Germany.

The Hidden Battle

The Hidden Battle · 2018

The Hidden Battle

MovieDocumentary

During the Second World War, the Allies threaten to attack Spain, an allegedly neutral country, if the Francoist regime keeps allowing Nazi Germany to extract Galician tungsten, a strategic mineral, paramount to the war effort.

Mi ilustrísimo amigo

Mi ilustrísimo amigo · 2025

Mi ilustrísimo amigo

MovieRomanceDrama

The real, passionate, epistolary love affair between two of the most brilliant minds of 19th-century Spain: Emilia Pardo Bazán and Benito Pérez Galdós. A story of love, passion, and sex, ahead of its time.

More Like This

The Straight Story

The Straight Story · 1999

The Straight Story

MovieDramaAdventure

Retired farmer and widower Alvin Straight learns one day that his estranged brother Lyle has suffered a severe stroke. Alvin is determined to make things right with Lyle while he still can, but his brother lives in Wisconsin, while Alvin is stuck in Iowa with no car and no driver's license. He then has the idea of making the trip on his old lawnmower, thus beginning a picturesque and at times deeply spiritual odyssey.

The Pianist

The Pianist · 2002

The true story of pianist Władysław Szpilman's experiences in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation. When the Jews of the city find themselves forced into a ghetto, Szpilman finds work playing in a café; and when his family is deported in 1942, he stays behind, works for a while as a laborer, and eventually goes into hiding in the ruins of the war-torn city.

Schindler's List

Schindler's List · 1993

Schindler's List

MovieDramaHistory

The true story of how businessman Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis while they worked as slaves in his factory during World War II.

A Beautiful Mind

A Beautiful Mind · 2001

A Beautiful Mind

MovieDramaRomance

From the heights of notoriety to the depths of depravity, John Forbes Nash Jr. experiences it all. As a brilliant but socially awkward mathematician, he made a groundbreaking discovery early in his career and stands on the brink of international acclaim. But as the handsome and arrogant Nash accepts secret work in cryptography, he becomes entangled in a mysterious conspiracy. His life takes a nightmarish turn and he soon finds himself on a painful and harrowing journey of self-discovery.

Erin Brockovich

Erin Brockovich · 2000

Erin Brockovich

A twice-divorced mother of three who sees an injustice, takes on the bad guy and wins -- with a little help from her push-up bra. Erin goes to work for an attorney and comes across medical records describing illnesses clustered in one nearby town. She starts investigating and soon exposes a monumental cover-up.

12 Mighty Orphans

12 Mighty Orphans · 2021

12 Mighty Orphans

MovieHistoryDrama

Haunted by his mysterious past, a devoted high school football coach leads a scrawny team of orphans to the state championship during the Great Depression and inspires a broken nation along the way.

Once Upon a Time in America

Once Upon a Time in America · 1984

Once Upon a Time in America

MovieDramaCrime

A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan over thirty years later, where he once again must confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.

Amadeus

Amadeus · 1984

MovieDramaHistory

Disciplined Italian composer Antonio Salieri becomes consumed by jealousy and resentment towards the hedonistic and remarkably talented young Salzburger composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Lady Chatterley's Lover

Lady Chatterley's Lover · 2022

Lady Chatterley's Lover

MovieDramaRomance

After a crippling injury leaves her husband impotent, Lady Chatterly is torn between her love for her husband and her physical desires. With her husband's consent, she seeks out other means of fulfilling her needs.

People on Sunday

People on Sunday · 1930

People on Sunday

A semi-documentary experimental 1930 German silent film created by amateurs with a small budget. With authentic scenes of the metropolis city of Berlin, it's the first film from the later famous screenwriters/directors Billy Wilder and Fred Zinnemann.

Miller's Crossing

Miller's Crossing · 1990

Miller's Crossing

MovieDramaThriller

Set in 1929, a political boss and his advisor have a parting of the ways when they both fall for the same woman.

Capote

MovieCrimeDrama

A biopic of writer Truman Capote and his assignment for The New Yorker to write the non-fiction book "In Cold Blood".

Poseidon

Poseidon · 2006

MovieAdventureAction

A packed cruise ship traveling the Atlantic is hit and overturned by a massive wave, compelling the passengers to begin a dramatic fight for their lives.

Monster

Monster · 2003

MovieCrimeDrama

In 1989, prostitute Aileen Wuornos befriends and enters a relationship with a young woman named Selby. Determined to straighten out her life, Aileen's limited education lands her back on the corner. She's raped by a trick, who she kills. A string of murder and robbery follows that ultimately leads Aileen to becoming America's first female serial killer.

The Last Emperor

The Last Emperor · 1987

The Last Emperor

MovieDramaHistory

A dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last of the Emperors of China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City, the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication, his decline and dissolute lifestyle; his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter