Entertainment
15 April 2024Inspired by the lives and experiences of several members of the Guardia Civil directly involved in the fight against terrorism
Agustín Díaz Yanes, Susana Abaitua, Andrés Gertrúdix, Iraia Elias, Raúl Arévalo, Ariadna Gil, Belén Atienza, Sandra Hermida and J.A. Bayona, on the set of 'Un fantasma en la batalla'
Netflix unveiled today the first look of the production of 'Un fantasma en la batalla', the new film by Agustín Díaz Yanes, a political thriller starring Susana Abaitua, Andrés Gertrúdix, Iraia Elias, Raúl Arévalo and Ariadna Gil, and produced by Belén Atienza, Sandra Hermida, and J.A. Bayona.
She Walks in Darkness is inspired by the most significant undercover operation against ETA, a mission that became a turning point in Spain’s fight against terrorism. Set during the 1990s and 2000s, the film tells the story of Amaia (played by Susana Abaitua), a young Civil Guard officer who spends more than a decade undercover within the terrorist organization, aiming to locate secret weapons caches (“zulos”) hidden in southern France.
"Talking about a film before shooting it is an exercise in tightrope walking for which I don't feel ready. So, instead of talking about the future, I prefer to talk about the past. About five years ago Belén Atienza asked me to write a story about ETA. Months later I gave her a first version of a script that told the story of a female undercover agent of the Guardia Civil, a character based on the different stories and experiences of several moles -women and men- that the Guardia Civil managed to embed in ETA. Belén asked me for the story to be something more than a thriller and, as the days go by, it is becoming increasingly clear to me that Un fantasma en la batalla is not only going to be about the eventful lives of its main characters, I also hope that the unlived lives (as Javier Marías would say) will be felt, the lives that could have been and were not all its characters," said Agustín Díaz Yanes, director and screenwriter of the film, during the first day of filming.
"It is a privilege for us to work again with the great Díaz Yanes who, in the best tradition of the European political thriller, has constructed a fascinating suspense story set in the context of a fundamental decade in the fight against ETA and in which the group's violence had a strong impact on Spanish society," said Belén Atienza, the film's producer.
"Agustín Díaz Yanes is not only one of the most important figures in Spanish cinema, but also an exceptional witness to the recent history of our country. From our first conversations about Un fantasma en la batalla, I was amazed by his profound knowledge of the events that his script relates. I am looking forward to Spanish cinema once again enjoying one of its best directors, who solidly and passionately faces the challenge of tackling such a delicate, complex and transcendent subject as the Basque conflict", said J.A. Bayona, producer of the film.
Rubén Miguélez
PR Manager - Spain & Portugal
rmiguelez@netflix.com
