In Spanish literature and cinema, a storm ( tormenta ) often represents internal emotional chaos. During the film, Vera is fighting not just the weather, but the storm inside her: the fear of losing her child, the anxiety of a marriage that seems perfect but might be fragile, and the moral storm of playing God with the past.
Oriol Paulo’s direction is precise and atmospheric. He uses the constant, rumbling thunderstorm as both a literal and metaphorical backdrop—a symbol of chaos, cleansing, and the violent collision of timelines. The film’s pacing is relentless, jumping between 1989, the “original” 2014, and the “altered” 2014, yet Paulo keeps the audience oriented through clever visual cues and a haunting musical score by Fernando Velázquez. The cinematography (by Xavi Giménez) shifts between warm, intimate tones for family scenes and cold, sterile blues for moments of confusion and danger, reinforcing Vera’s emotional disorientation.
Algunas de las estrategias de resiliencia y supervivencia durante la tormenta incluyen: Durante la Tormenta
Throughout the different timelines, certain constants exist. The character of Nico (the boy) recognizes Vera in every timeline, not because of logic, but because of an emotional resonance she created during the storm . The film argues that while time is mutable, true connection is not.
A step-by-step guide to the different realities presented. In Spanish literature and cinema, a storm (
The story centers on Vera (Adriana Ugarte), a devoted mother and nurse who, along with her husband David (Álvaro Morte) and young daughter Gloria, moves into a peculiar old house. During a fierce electrical storm, Vera discovers a vintage video camera and an old television set. Through this equipment, she establishes a bizarre, temporal link with a boy named Nico (Julio Bohigas-Couto), who lived in the same house 25 years earlier, in 1989.
If you'd like a more detailed breakdown of a specific part of the film, please let me know: He uses the constant, rumbling thunderstorm as both
This maternal rage—a storm of its own—is what elevates the film. It turns a sci-fi puzzle into a visceral drama. You stop caring about whether the time travel makes sense; you just want Vera to hug Gloria again.
★★★★½ (4.5/5) Where to stream: Netflix (Available globally) Best paired with: A cup of hot tea, a thunderstorm playlist on loop, and complete darkness.
In the vast ocean of streaming content, few foreign-language films break through the algorithmic noise to become a global conversation. Yet, in 2018—two years before Everything Everywhere All at Once made the multiverse a box office darling—Spanish director Oriol Paulo delivered a tight, cerebral thriller that posed a terrifying question: What if you could change one second of the past, only to wake up in a nightmare?
