🌑She Walks in Darkness (2025): A Haunting Political Thriller from Spain – Plot, Cast, Release Date & Where to Watch

“To fight the enemy, sometimes you must live as one.”

Netflix is bringing a gripping Spanish political thriller to the global stage this fall with She Walks in Darkness (Spanish: Un fantasma en la batalla), a tense and atmospheric film that plunges deep into the dangerous world of undercover counterterrorism. Directed by Agustín Díaz Yanes, and produced by the powerhouse team behind Society of the Snow — Belén Atienza, Sandra Hermida, and J.A. Bayona — this chilling drama arrives October 17, 2025 on Netflix after premiering at the San Sebastián Film Festival (Zinemaldia) in September.

Set against the volatile backdrop of Spain in the 1990s and 2000s, the film is inspired by the real-life stories of Civil Guard officers who risked everything to dismantle the Basque separatist group ETA.

🕵️ The Story: A Ghost in the Battle

At the heart of the story is Amaia (played by Susana Abaitua), a young officer in the Civil Guard who dedicates more than a decade of her life to an almost impossible mission: infiltrating ETA and uncovering the group’s hidden weapons caches scattered across Spain and southern France.

Amaia lives in constant danger, her identity erased and her freedom sacrificed, as she walks a razor-thin line between truth and betrayal. Known among her peers as “a ghost in the battle,” her presence within ETA is both invisible and essential.

The operation, codenamed Operation Sanctuar, was one of the largest and most complex undercover missions ever carried out against the terrorist group. Through Amaia’s eyes, the film captures not just the stakes of espionage, but also the personal cost of living a lie for years on end.

🎭 The Cast

The film brings together a stellar ensemble of Spanish talent:

• Susana Abaitua as Amaia, the undercover Civil Guard agent.

• Andrés Gertrúdix

• Iraia Elias

• Raúl Arévalo

• Ariadna Gil

• Eduardo Rejón

• Iñaki Balboa

Each actor embodies the tense and morally gray world of a society fractured by violence, ideology, and the ghosts of history.

🎬 Behind the Camera

• Director & Screenwriter: Agustín Díaz Yanes (Alatriste, Don’t Tempt Me).

• Producers: Belén Atienza, Sandra Hermida, J.A. Bayona (Society of the Snow, The Impossible).

• Cinematography: Paco Femenía, bringing shadowy realism and chilling intimacy to every frame.

• Distributor: Tripictures.

This creative team’s pedigree ensures She Walks in Darkness blends raw historical authenticity with cinematic tension.

⏳ Release Dates

• September 2025 – World Premiere at San Sebastián Film Festival (Zinemaldia).

• October 3, 2025 – Theatrical release in Spain.

• October 17, 2025 – Global release on Netflix.

📺 Where to Watch

She Walks in Darkness will be available to stream worldwide on Netflix from October 17, 2025. Spanish audiences can also catch it in theaters starting October 3, 2025.

🌍 Why This Film Matters

More than just a thriller, She Walks in Darkness sheds light on a turbulent chapter of Spanish history. By drawing from true accounts of undercover Civil Guard officers, the film explores the thin line between duty and identity, loyalty and survival.

It is both a political thriller and a human story — the tale of a young woman who became a shadow in service of her country, risking everything so that others could live free from fear.