El Lobo

"El Lobo" tells the real story of a government agent that during the 70s (during the time when Franco is dying and a time of change is coming in Spain) infiltrates the ETA (a separatist terrorist organization). It's a very dangerous mission and this film succeeds in portraying the tension and perplexity of the agent (codename Lobo - wolf in English) and the doubts that the new times to come arouse inside the ETA and in Spain.

This is a fast-paced thriller that unlike its American counterparts doesn't tell us who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. We see the idealism in ETA militants that lead them to indiscriminate killing and the opportunism of the government circles. Instead of giving us a ready-made solution the film poses questions that linger in our mind. For instance: with the coming of democracy wouldn't it be better to give up armed struggle and become an organized party? This generates conflicts inside ETAs leading circles and the agent Lobo is inside this turmoil.

Today with the crescent European integration these questions are still valid. Is it necessary to fight for old ideals that have lost its reason of being or wouldn't it be better to adapt to the new times where integration is the password? In a few sketches, the agent Lobo, the ETA militants, the government officials, the mood in Spain, are drawn in a realistic way and give us a feeling of real persons and events.

Rent this film. "El Lobo" is very intense and sometimes desperate (like the 70s in Spain). New times are coming. What shall we do? What will happen?