She Walks in Darkness
| She Walks in Darkness | |
|---|---|
 Promotional release poster | |
| Spanish | Un fantasma en la batalla |
| Directed by | Agustín Díaz Yanes |
| Written by | Agustín Díaz Yanes |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Paco Femenía |
| Edited by | Bernat Vilaplana |
| Music by | Arnau Batller |
Production company | Basoilarraren Filmak |
| Distributed by | Tripictures |
Release dates |
|
| Country | Spain |
| Language | Spanish |
She Walks in Darkness (Spanish: Un fantasma en la batalla, lit. 'A ghost in the battle') is a 2025 Spanish political thriller film directed by Agustín Díaz Yanes starring Susana Abaitua.
Plot
The plot follows Amaia, a Guardia Civil agent going undercover for years within the ETA ranks seeking to crack the location of the group's multiple weapons caches (zulos) scattered in southern France.[1]
Cast
- Susana Abaitua as Amaia[1]
- Andrés Gertrúdix as teniente coronel Castro[2]
- Iraia Elias as Begoña[2]
- Raúl Arévalo as Arrieta[2]
- Ariadna Gil as María Soledad Iparraguirre Guenechea, "Anboto"[2]
- Eduardo Rejón[3]
- Iñaki Balboa[3]
- Jaime Chávarri as Txiki el Viejo[2]
- Cris Iglesias as Adela[2]
- Anartz Zuazua as Mikel Albisu Iriarte, "Antza"[2]
- Mikel Losada as Iñaki Gracia Arregi, "Rentería"[2]
Production
Written by Agustín Díaz Yanes, the premise of She Walks in Darkness is similar to Arantxa Echevarría's Undercover (2024), which wrapped shooting some weeks before the intended beginning of the filming of She Walks in Darkness, although Echevarría's film follows closer the biography of Elena Tejada, while Díaz Yanes' film is more of an amalgam of stories of multiple Spanish law enforcement agents.[4] The greenlight of a second film under such circumstances is not usual in Spanish cinema.[4] Shooting locations included Gipuzkoa and Iparralde.[5] The film is a Basoilarraren Filmak production.[6] Paco Femenía worked as cinematographer.[7]
Release
The film was presented at the 73rd San Sebastián International Film Festival on 24 September 2025.[8][9] It received a theatrical release in Spain on 3 October 2025 by Tripictures, followed by a streaming release on Netflix on 17 October 2025.[10][11][12]
Reception
Luis Martínez of El Mundo rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, considering that, just like Undercover, it is an excellent story perfectly coherent with its intentions.[13]
Harri X. Fernández of Deia lamented that the characterisation of all the characters drawn by Díaz Yanes, starting by Abaitua's, is "one-dimensional", while pointing out that the film does not work as a thriller either as it "lacks tension and pace".[14]
Alfonso Rivera of Cineuropa billed the film as "a gripping thriller of imposture, espionage and lies", sometimes feeling "like a horror flick, such is the anguish and tension of its scenes".[6]
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2026
|
13th Feroz Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Film | Iraia Elias | Nominated | [15] |
| 81st CEC Medals | Best Original Screenplay | Agustín Díaz Yanes | Pending | ||
| Best Actress | Susana Abaitua | Pending | |||
| Best Editing | Bernat Vilaplana | Pending | |||
| 40th Goya Awards | Best Original Screenplay | Agustín Díaz Yanes | Pending | [17] | |
| Best Actress | Susana Abaitua | Pending | |||
| Best Editing | Bernat Vilaplana | Pending | |||
| Best Special Effects | Jon Serrano, Mariano García Marty, Laura Pedro | Pending |
See also
References
- ^ a b "Primeras imágenes de 'Un fantasma en la batalla', la película de Díaz Yanes sobre la mayor infiltración en ETA". Cine con Ñ. 8 July 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Úbeda-Portugués, Alberto (29 September 2025). "Los estrenos del 3 de octubre. 'Un fantasma en la batalla'. La vida peligrosa". Aisge.
- ^ a b "Un fantasma en la batalla, la película sobre ETA de Agustín Díaz Yanes, ya tiene fecha de estreno en Netflix y en cines". Cultura Ocio. 7 July 2025.
- ^ a b Belinchón, Gregorio (23 March 2024). "La única policía que logró infiltrarse en ETA". Mundo Diners.
- ^ Flaño, Teresa (1 June 2025). "Gipuzkoa, plató recurrente para los rodajes de Netflix desde que llegó hace diez años". Diario Vasco. Grupo Vocento.
- ^ a b Rivera, Alfonso (26 September 2025). "Review: She Walks in Darkness". Cineuropa.
- ^ "Comienza el rodaje del thriller político 'Un fantasma en la batalla'". Camera and Light Mag. 16 April 2024.
- ^ Ramón, Esteban (11 July 2025). "José Luis Guerín, 'los Moriarti' y Alberto Rodríguez competirán por la Concha de Oro del Festival de San Sebastián". rtve.es.
- ^ "'La voz de Hind Rajab' finaliza su proyección con una marcha contra el genocidio de Gaza: "No les queda tiempo"". Cadena SER. 24 September 2025.
- ^ "Un fantasma en la batalla". Tripictures. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
- ^ Belinchón, Gregorio (7 July 2025). ""A ETA se la derrotó como había que hacerlo, desde las fuerzas de seguridad y desde la sociedad"". El País.
- ^ Madrueño, Beatriz (7 July 2025). "'Un fantasma en la batalla' llega a los cines el 3 de octubre y dos semanas después a Netflix". La Razón.
- ^ Martínez, Luis (24 September 2025). "Un fantasma en la batalla: Díaz Yanes completa un thriller modélico, vibrante y hondo para animar el fuego eterno de nuestro Vietnam (****)". El Mundo.
- ^ Fernández, Harri X. (25 September 2025). "La batalla del relato en 'Un fantasma en la batalla'". Deia.
- ^ Abenia, Enrique (25 January 2026). "Palmarés completo de los Premios Feroz 2026: 'Los domingos' puede con el efecto Óscar de 'Sirât'". Cinemanía (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 January 2026 – via 20minutos.es.
- ^ "'Los domingos' lidera la lista de las nominaciones de las Medallas del CEC en su edición número 81". Kinótico. 9 January 2018.
- ^ "Lista completa de nominados a los Premios Goya 2026". El Cultural. 13 January 2026 – via El Español.