The Invisible Guardian poster

The Invisible Guardian

El guardián invisible
2017SpainLanguage: esDirected by Fernando González Molina6.5
Available in English: subtitled

When the naked body of a teenage girl is found on the banks of the River Baztán, it is quickly linked to a similar murder one month before. Soon, rumours are flying in the nearby village of Elizondo. Is this the work of a ritualistic killer or is it the basajaun, the ‘invisible guardian’ of Basque mythology? Inspector Amaia Salazar leads the investigation, taking her back to the heart of the Basque country where she was born, and where she hoped never to return. Shrouded in mist and surrounded by impenetrable forests, it is a place of unresolved conflicts and a terrible secret from Amaia’s childhood that will come back to haunt her. Faced with the superstitions of the village, Amaia must fight the demons of her past to confront the reality of a serial killer on the loose. But as she is drawn deeper into the investigation, she feels the presence of something darker lurking in the shadows…

Themes and style

Tone
bleakhauntingtensemelancholiccold and detached
Pacing
slow burnmethodicalescalating
Story
investigationpursuitunraveling
Emotion
griefguiltparanoiafiguring out who you arelongingloss of innocence
Themes
family wounds passed downfamily dutycaught between worldsreligion and faith
Feel
quietly hauntingcerebraldiscussion starterexhausting
Violence
moderate

Where to watch

Netflix(subscription)Netflix Standard with Ads(subscription)

Hollywood films like The Invisible Guardian

If The Invisible Guardian hit you the right way, here are Hollywood films that share its DNA. Same emotional weight, same kind of stories, same kind of payoff.

Boogeyman poster

Boogeyman

2005USA54.5 pt match

What ties these together is grief, loss of innocence, and paranoia. They share the same lens on family wounds passed down and family duty. The feel is the same: haunting, tense, slow burn, and escalating.