Just under a year ago, Undercover [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film] premiered and triumphed – first at the box office, then at the Goyas. The award-winning feature by Arantxa Echevarría recounted the case of a National Police officer who secretly infiltrated ETA, the terrorist organisation that shed blood in Spain for far too many years, even in the era of democracy. Now, out of competition at the 73rd San Sebastián International Film Festival, a film with a similar premise arrives – and with greater cinematic ambition. It is She Walks in Darkness by Agustín Díaz Yanes.

The screenplay was penned by the director himself, who returns to directing duties after 2017’s Gold [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Agustín Díaz Yanes
scheda film]. The story is loosely based on real events – then moulded with fictional elements – to create a serious work that denounces atrocities while keeping up the pace, and not neglecting personal drama, historical texture or entertainment value. The plot follows Amaia, a young Civil Guard officer played by Susana Abaitua. A superior, Andrés Gertrúdix, recruits her to infiltrate ETA sympathisers. She must adopt a new identity, erase her past and move across northern Spain and southern France like the spectre evoked by the movie’s Spanish title (Un fantasma en la Batalla – lit. “A Ghost in Battle”) – unseen for who she really is – in order to thwart the criminal group’s operations.

The narrative spans 12 years, from 1992-2004. Díaz Yanes weaves in audiovisual documents, archival images and news footage. These materials drop younger viewers – and those unfamiliar with recent history – slap bang into a critical period for Spain, when a group rejected the value of others’ lives and spread fear.

On that scaffolding of reality, the Madrid-born filmmaker builds a gripping thriller of imposture, espionage and lies. The interest never slackens. The cinematography by Paco Femenía is melancholic, oppressive and sombre – a visual echo of a nation gripped by panic. At times, She Walks in Darkness feels like a horror flick, such is the anguish and tension of its scenes. What’s more, the cast is measured and precise. Iraia Elias, Raúl Arévalo and filmmaker Jaime Chávarri shine bright in supporting roles. The latter seems to enjoy a revived acting life – he also appears in The Last Rapture in this same festival’s Zabaltegi-Tabakalera section.

One question remains: would this film have been entered in the main competition if JA Bayona – a co-producer here and the director of Society of the Snow [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: J.A. Bayona
scheda film] – were not serving as jury chair? It would be more than deserving of such a slot.

She Walks in Darkness was produced by Basoilarraren Filmak. It opens in Spanish cinemas on 3 October, released by TriPictures. It lands on Netflix on the 17th of the same month.