I started watching "El padre Cain" because I was sitting around with nothing to do one night, but I quickly got hooked. Eloy is a police officer, "guardia civil" in Spain, not sure if there's an equivalent here in the U.S., who goes to the Basque Country to deal with the ETA (Basque) terrorists in 1980, one of the worst years for Basque terrorist attacks.
He leaves behind in Madrid a wife who is pretty far along in her first pregnancy, and is confined to bed rest because of complications. San Sebastian is a beautiful little city where a lot of wealthy Spaniards spend their summers, but here it's portrayed as dark, gray, and always raining. The weather reflects the mood; this isn't a feel-good movie. ETA is out of control, killing about a hundred people a year. Eloy's experience in the Basque Country is intense, although he finishes his stint there with great success.
"El padre Cain" is interesting in that about 20 minutes before the end, you can figure out exactly what's going to happen, or at least I could. Usually you would describe such an ending as predictable, in the worst sense of the word. But I would describe the ending as more inevitable. You know this is how things have to turn out.
Quim Gutierrez, who won the Goya (the Spanish version of the US's Oscar) for best newcomer, really shows off his acting chops. Aura Garrido, who most know from her work in the cult hit "El Ministerio del Tiempo," is just as good. Everything about this production was first-rate. I gave it 10 out of 10 because as TV movies go, it's as good as it gets. Is it on par with works like "Citizen Kane" or "Casablanca"? No. But it was by far the best TV movie I've ever seen, or probably will ever see.
