Netflix’s new Spanish film, She Walks In Darkness, is based on the tumultuous period in Spain when ETA (Euskadi ta Askatasuna) unleashed terror upon government officials, military personnel, politicians, and even professors. It began as a significant movement by the Basque people in response to severe cultural repression—particularly during Francisco Franco’s dictatorship from 1939 to 1975. The targeted erasure of the language and the culture resulted in deep resentment. After the successful assassination of Franco’s probable successor, Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco, in 1973, and Franco’s eventual death in 1975, Spain transitioned from a dictatorship to a constitutional monarchy. The Basque Autonomous Community was formed in 1979, and the Basque language was finally recognized alongside Spanish. Many members of the ETA distanced themselves from the group after a few of their demands were met, but a small group continued their fight for an independent Basque nation. The film is centered around Amaya, a Spanish Civil Guard who goes undercover and infiltrates the organization. She knew the risks involved, but her determination was undeterred.
Spoiler Alert
How did Amaya help the government find Ortega Lara?
Amaya Mateo Gines had lost both her parents; she had studied English and French philology and had a very basic knowledge of the Basque language. She was considered methodical, and since she didn’t have a family, she was believed not to be risk-averse. She had expressed her interest in helping the government crack down on the ETA militia, and she was offered the task of going undercover. Her new identity was Amaia Lopez Elosegui. Her senior, Colonel Castro, had arranged a teaching job for her at a school in Basque Country run by Begoña, an important member of the ETA, whose husband was imprisoned for his involvement in the cause. Amaia had to establish herself as a true supporter of the Basque National Liberation Movement to gain Begoña’s trust. Amaya was warned that if the militia learned about her real identity, they would kill her and the government would not be able to protect her. Amaya agreed to take the chance. She joined the school and successfully befriended Begoña. She was gradually introduced to the organization, and her task at first was to simply host a member of the ETA.
Amaya was unaware that the key to the white car she was asked to hand over to another ETA member would be used in Gregorio Ordonez’s murder. An ETA gunman followed him and then shot him dead in the bar he’d visited. Ordonez was the leader of the People’s Party and was considered a shoo-in to become the next mayor of San Sebastian. Amaya blamed herself for not doing enough to stop the murder, and the incident encouraged her to become more vigilant and gather whatever evidence she could get her hands on.
The ETA had kidnapped a prison officer, Ortega Lara, and he’d been kept in captivity for almost two years. Begoña met the man who’d been staying at Amaya’s apartment, and he mentioned buying a SIM card for Isuntza, an ETA member, who was in charge of Ortega. She advocated for Amaya, asking him to consider giving more tasks to her, but he wasn’t really convinced. He believed Amaya was too perfect and hence couldn’t be trusted completely. After Begoña left, Amaya noticed the militant destroy the SIM card details and throw it all in the garbage. Amaya was in charge of taking the garbage out, but every night she used to replace the actual garbage bag with the one stored in the elevator by her invisible team. After the militant stepped out of the apartment, Amaya taped together the discarded card and paper and passed it on to her boss. Castro sought permission to tap the phone and ordered his team to be on constant surveillance. Isuntza used the phone to pass on a coded message, which meant they were on their way to delivering explosives. Isuntza was arrested, and the civil guards found a diary in his car.
Castro and his team couldn’t figure out what ‘BOL 5k’ meant. Castro was confident that it was likely about an operation in Spain, possibly something to do with Ortega Lara’s abduction. After his team conducted a deep search, they discovered that BOL could be short for Josu Uribetxeberria Bolinaga, a member of the cell supporting the militia who’d been renting an industrial building in the Mondragon area. Turned out, it was the spot where the ETA had been hiding Ortega Lara. Castro was grateful to Amaya for her intel; they’d finally succeeded in rescuing Ortega Lara, and Amaya too felt she’d lived up to the task she was assigned.
Why did Amaya rejoin the mission?
What started out as just a couple months’ mission had dragged on for years. Amaya’s heart ached every time she met her fiancé briefly at hotels approved by her boss. He was her only family, and after constantly living in vigilance, Amaya felt the need to step back and live her life a little. The ETA had been keeping a watch on her, and they saw Amaya walk out from a hotel with her fiancé. Begoña made it very clear that since she had become an ETA militant, she wasn’t allowed to have any romantic affairs without their knowledge. After Ortega was rescued, Castro knew that Amaya had to offer something significant enough to win the trust of the core group. So, Amaya offered Begoña information about a sergeant for the Civil Guard. She updated them about his routine, and Begoña was visibly impressed. The plan was to shoot the sergeant, and Amaya was asked to accompany them. The sergeant, who was well aware of what was about to go down, shot the gunman who approached him. The driver escaped, and only Amaya was left in the car. Although Amaya thought that the sergeant knew she was undercover, apparently, in an attempt to make it look believable, he almost choked Amaya, and she didn’t have a choice but to shoot him. Thankfully, he didn’t die, but the incident left Amaya traumatized. Even though Castro told her that the sergeant knew about the operation, it seemed she didn’t really believe him. Perhaps Castro was ready to sacrifice one life in the hopes of getting access to more ETA information.
Amaya couldn’t shrug off the thought that she could’ve killed one of them, and it left her feeling unsettled. Begoña now trusted Amaya, especially after she shot the sergeant. But Amaya didn’t think she was ready to continue as an undercover. She feared that she would never be able to go back to a normal life if she didn’t stop, and even though Castro was a little disappointed in her, he was well aware of the toll such an intense mission can have on an individual, and he wanted her to know that she’d made her country proud. Begoña was surprised when Amaya told her that she planned on going back to live a normal life, get married, and live in peace, but she assumed that maybe ‘Amaia’ was not meant for a militant life. Amaya and her fiancé moved into a house in Carmona, Seville. They planned on getting married soon. Amaya was trying on a wedding dress at a store when her focus shifted to a news broadcast on television stating that the ETA had kidnapped the head of the People’s Party, Miguel Angel Blanco Garrido, and in exchange for his safe return, they demanded that all the ETA prisoners be transferred to Basque Country prison. After the government didn’t give into their demand within the deadline they’d proposed, the ETA killed Miguel. Amaya wondered if she could have rescued him had she chosen not to walk away. She decided to go back undercover again; it wasn’t an easy decision, considering the sacrifice the job demanded, but she wanted to do everything in her power to stop the atrocity.
How did Amaya help the government bring down the ETA?
After Amaya returned, she was tasked with tracking down the five cells (hideouts) where they stored explosive materials, grenades, and grenade launchers. She had to establish contact with Begoña, of course; it wasn’t easy, but she convinced her that she was genuinely concerned about the mistreatment Basque people were subjected to. Begoña advised Amaya to move to France since they were afraid that Andoni, one of the militants who was arrested, would give away their secrets, and they needed a safe place to hide. Amaya was promoted as the official driver for the ETA members operating in France. This helped her keep an eye on every movement, and she constantly updated her senior about every detail she noticed. She also made contact with Fabianne Tapia, the girlfriend of ETA’s top agent, Inaki de Renteria, and while Castro didn’t think she was still active, he asked his team to keep a constant watch on her after Amaya confirmed her involvement. Inaki de Renteria was eventually arrested at her house, and since he didn’t receive any intel about the raid, he didn’t get the time to destroy any documents related to the ETA. After his arrest, the organization figured there was a mole. At first, they suspected Miguel Luque, an air force officer who had joined the ETA as an undercover operative on behalf of the Secret Service. They shot him in the car Amaya was driving, and she was completely hopeless at the moment. She couldn’t defend Miguel, but watching someone blow out his brains was a nauseating experience for her. Since Castro and his team had successfully, with Amaya’s help, figured out the location of the five cells as well as the hideouts of the key members, he believed it was time to take them down. While Amaya had been dedicated to the cause, she felt bad for Begoña, who’d planned on visiting her children during the weekend after a year spent apart from them. But then again, there was no room for emotion in the mission, and Amaya had to make peace with the thought that it was for the greater good.
Meanwhile, the ETA suspected that there was another mole who’d been with them for a long time. Txiki, who had sharp investigative skills and had previously worked for the ETA, was tasked with finding the mole. From finding out who the ETA prisoners were in contact with before they were arrested to closely inspecting the data they had on the ETA members, in Amaya’s case “An Irish Airman Who Foresees His Death” by William Butler Yeats, which she claimed to have translated, and even attempting to trace the burial ground of Amaya’s (fake) mother, they did everything to find the mole. Castro informed Amaya that the ETA had almost figured out that she was the mole, and it didn’t come as a shock to her, because she sensed they were suspecting her legitimacy altogether. Castro told her that, soon after the arrests, they would play the song “Parole, Parole” during the 9 A.M. news on the National Radio Station, so she must tune into the radio every day.
During She Walks In Darkness’ ending, before the hideouts were raided and the arrests were made, Castro discovered that Amaya’s cover was blown and the ETA had joined the dots. As promised by Castro, the song was played on the radio, but unfortunately, Amaya was in the washroom, so she didn’t hear it. Castro felt the desperate need to act to protect his valuable undercover operative. He contacted the French police and requested them to play the song on the local radio channels. This time his plan worked; Amaya was about to grab breakfast at the common area when she heard “Parole, Parole” playing on the local radio. By the time the song played, an ETA member had already asked her to accompany him on “a job.” It was clear they were planning to kill her, and although Amaya realized the hint a bit too late, she knew she had to act quickly and make the most of it. She excused herself, saying she had to use the washroom, and she ran.
In the final scene of She Walks In Darkness, Amaya is seen running for her life; she ran through the woods and didn’t even stop to look back. She stopped only after she arrived at the road. She figured she had managed to leave them behind, and her face beamed with a sense of accomplishment. She had not only served her country but had also managed to escape the hideout safely. She breathed a sigh of relief; she no longer had to worry about being shot at any moment. She could finally live.
Did Amaya survive?
She Walks In Darkness’ ending confirms that Amaya survived. Perhaps she went back to her regular life that revolved around her fiancé, and maybe the wedding she’d been postponing finally took place. The trauma of the life she’d left behind would continue to follow her, perhaps in the form of dreams and regrets, but the fact that she’d played a part in stopping the ETA will make her believe it was all worth it in the end. We don’t really get to know Amaya well; all we know is that she’d spent most of her life without her parents and she loved her fiancé dearly. There were days when she questioned her own abilities, yet she wholeheartedly believed in the mission and felt it was worth the risk to her life. Perhaps the fact that we don’t get to know every little detail about Amaya highlights how most of the Civil Guards who worked undercover remained unknown to the general public. They worked quietly in the darkness, not knowing if they would ever return home—or if they’d even have a place to call home again. They relentlessly worked on the mission, and it was their effort that helped Spain stop the crimes committed by the ETA. Amaya is not based on any one individual; she represents the undercover agents who’d worked on the mission and helped in achieving the desired outcome. Seven years later, in October 2011, the ETA announced a permanent ceasefire, but, apparently, in recent years, there is a reported sense of growing frustration due to the lack of response from the Spanish and the French governments in negotiating a peace agreement with Basque independence groups.
