The shoot has wrapped for The Confidant, a film being directed by Daniel Calparsoro (who was in competition at Venice in 1997 with Blinded, and has dedicated his career to thrillers and action flicks, with Mikaela, Bank Under Siege and El correo being the most recent examples). Based on true events, it is toplined by Javier Gutiérrez (a Goya Award winner for The Motive and Marshland) and Miguel Herrán (a fellow Goya winner for Nothing in Return). Based on documents from journalist Pablo Muñoz, the script has been penned by Fernando Navarro (Verónica, Saturn Return), and the cast is rounded off by Itsaso Arana (The Other Way Around), Emilio Palacios (Los héroes del mal) and Víctor Clavijo (nominated for a Goya Award for Silvia’s Gift, recently seen in Undercover).

(L'articolo continua qui sotto - Inf. pubblicitaria)

The movie is an ode to the friendship struck up via the relationship between a veteran policeman (played by Javier Gutiérrez) and his young informer (played by Miguel Herrán), two men with opposing principles who are united by the solitude of their jobs, a sense of loyalty and a feeling of abandonment. In the midst of a dangerous police operation, they will both push past boundaries that will force them to accept the consequences of their actions.

The six-week shoot took place on location in Gipuzkoa and in the south of France. In the words of Daniel Calparsoro, “The Confidant is a thriller about the end of terrorist group ETA, telling the story of the friendship between two people who are polar opposites. For me, as director, what attracted my attention the most was the combination of thriller and spy-film elements with this story of a profound friendship, written to perfection and masterfully performed by Javier Gutiérrez and Miguel Herrán. This is a film that it’s worth going to see in the cinema and which has a very powerful emotional charge to it.” 

In the words of María Luisa Gutiérrez, who is producing through Bowfinger International Pictures, “What drew us to this project was the potential to tell of the profoundly human relationship that blossoms between two men with contrasting ideologies – a policeman and a young separatist close to the milieu of ETA – who are nevertheless united by one and the same drive: putting an end to the violence and the murders. This is something that they themselves will take a while to find out. The story contains an immense human aspect and all the ingredients you need for a great thriller: tension, peril, betrayal and an unrelenting countdown – that’s why we were certain that Calparsoro had to direct this feature. Not only because of his ability to lead the thriller into some very potent physical and emotional terrain, but also because he knows full well the context it’s talking about and was able to imbue the movie with a vital authenticity.”

This is the third Spanish title of late to tackle the topic of undercover agents infiltrating ETA on the big screen, following Undercover by Arantxa Echervarría and She Walks in Darkness by Agustín Díaz Yanes. While the latter was presented out of competition at the San Sebastián Film Festival, the former was a box-office smash (grossing almost €10 million), won big at the Goya Awards (including scooping the Award for Best Film), and was produced by Bowfinger and Esto También Pasará, the same companies as those working on Calparsoro’s new outing.

The Confidant is also being co-produced by El Confidente Films AIE and French outfit Lionceau Films, in conjunction with Sony Pictures Entertainment Iberia; Movistar Plus+ and Atresmedia are also involved. Its Spanish distribution will be entrusted to Sony Pictures Entertainment Iberia.