Tamar Novas Stars in Upcoming Spanish Thriller

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2023’s most popular non-English Netflix film, “Nowhere,” stars Spain’s Tamar Novas. This high-caliber cast also includes Marina Salas, Iván Marcos, and Annick Weerts in Rubén Pérez Barrena’s first feature film, titled “The Devil Within.

The rural suspense film, titled “The Rural Thrill,” is crafted by Beatriz Bodegas, a renowned director from La Canica Films. She was the recipient of a Goya Award for her 2016 thriller, “The Wrath of a Patient Man” (“Tarde para la ira”).

Nestled in a secluded Spanish village during the 1980s, the story “Walking with the Devil” unfolds around Philippe, a young French boy who comes with his family in search of tranquility. However, what they find is Miguel (Novas), a distressed local resident grappling with the enigma of his son’s unexplained disappearance.

The movie skillfully combines deep emotions and lingering suspense as it delves into the question of how loss and pain can drive individuals to their breaking points. It provokingly ponders, might catastrophe unveil our hidden darkness?

The film artfully weaves emotional intensity with a sense of building unease, investigating how suffering and sorrow can force people to the edge—and posing a thought-provoking query: Could disaster reveal our darkest sides?

Novas expressed his heartfelt gratitude towards the film project, particularly Bea Bodegas for considering him for the lead role of such a intricate character first. He shared that he recently met with the director and recognized that this opportunity would be an immense challenge he couldn’t pass up,” said Novas in simpler terms.

In this movie, Miguel truly represents its core theme, demonstrating just how far one can push themselves after experiencing a deeply personal loss and the subsequent loss of innocence…he is a shattered spirit. The burden of guilt and the profound darkness that envelops him, as well as the violence that such suffering breeds, make him an exceptional character to play,” he commented about his role.

Immediately following my appearance at the Malaga Film Festival for the premiere of ‘8’, by Julio Medem, which won the Audience Award, I began filming. It’s a joy to collaborate with directors I deeply respect (Medem, Amenábar, Almodóvar, Coixet…), but I also enjoy working with emerging filmmakers on their first features, particularly when the script is exceptional and presents an original story untold before, like in ‘Walking with the Devil.’ With a fantastic production crew, Rubén is cultivating an environment that’s simply perfect,” he concluded.

Perez Barrena, renowned for his suspenseful short films “Walkie Talkie,” “Rewind,” and “Terror.app,” is now directing the thriller based on a screenplay that he and Jesus Miguel Quintana (“Km. 38”) have written.

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Perez Barrena, known for his suspenseful short films like “Walkie Talkie,” “Rewind,” and “Terror.app,” is directing the thriller from a script he co-wrote with Jesus Miguel Quintana (“Km. 38”).

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The director Perez Barrena, famous for his short films such as “Walkie Talkie,” “Rewind,” and “Terror.app,” is working on the thriller, which he co-wrote with Jesus Miguel Quintana (“Km. 38”).

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Perez Barrena, who gained recognition through his short films “Walkie Talkie,” “Rewind,” and “Terror.app,” is now taking charge of the thriller’s direction, based on a script he co-wrote with Jesus Miguel Quintana (“Km. 38”).

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Perez Barrena, well-known for his suspenseful short films “Walkie Talkie,” “Rewind,” and “Terror.app,” is directing the upcoming thriller, which he co-authored with Jesus Miguel Quintana (“Km. 38”).

To put it simply, ‘Walking with the Devil’ is a gripping tale that explores the theme of losing one’s innocence and the extent to which a traumatic incident or situation can push us towards embracing our inner darkness,” he explained.

I’m going through this filmmaking process just like any other project, with its highs and lows, but I feel incredibly lucky to have a fantastic group of experts working alongside me – it’s truly a blessing for a first-time director. As Coppola once put it, ‘My film isn’t about Vietnam. It is Vietnam.’ In the same vein, my movie ‘Walking with the Devil’ mirrors the very essence of the devil.

Initially, Bodegas remembers receiving an email from Pérez Barrena, pitching his script to her: “Upon reading it, I felt it was a gripping and impactful rural thriller. Upon meeting with Rubén, I was eager to learn more about his vision for the film, which promptly convinced me to proceed with this project.

For his initial major project, she gathered a skilled team headed by Javier Salmones, Guillermo Navajo, Sergio Bürman, Maite Pérez Nievas, Naza Colomina, Patricia Rodríguez, and Julián Altuna. She believed this group would not only back him but also nurture his abilities and the narrative’s development.

We’re lucky to have Tamar Novas as Miguel and Marina Salas as Alicia, who are playing characters struggling with past loss. They find solace in Alban Petit’s character, Philippe. Ivan Marcos plays Tomás and Annick Weerts portrays Marie, a couple dealing realistically with a challenging journey to Tomás’ hometown. Less is more in their performance, as she pointed out.

Personally speaking, Rubén and I were so certain that Tamar and Marina embodied ‘our Miguel and Alicia’ so perfectly that we hastened the filming by six weeks from its original schedule. To this day, I’m grateful for making that call. They are supported by an outstanding ensemble cast including Vicente Vergara, Mateo Media, and Álvaro Dafora, among others. Each of them delivers their performances with unparalleled generosity.

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2025-04-16 19:17