Firebreak Review
Director: David Victori
Date Created: 2026-02-20 20:53
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Firebreak Review: Directed by David Victori, Netflix’s Spanish thriller Cortafuegos stars Belén Cuesta as Mara, Enric Auquer as Santi, Joaquín Furriel as Luis, Diana Gómez as Elena and others. With a runtime of 1 hour and 47 minutes, the movie is a tightly wound psychological thriller that takes place against the backdrop of a wildfire sweeping through the land, as a mother in mourning searches for her missing daughter.
Firebreak Review
Netflix’s Firebreak follows Mara as she relocates her daughter Lide and the rest of the family to her late husband’s forest cabin in order to prepare it for sale. The journey is intended to be one of closure, but it rapidly descends into a nightmare as Lide goes missing at the same time as evacuation orders are issued due to the approaching fire. Mara is unwilling to leave without her daughter and plunges into the woods, her growing desperation giving way to suspicion of their neighbour, Santi.
The most compelling aspect, however, is the manner in which the Netflix Spanish film Firebreak explores grief. Mara is more than just a panicked mother; she is a woman still struggling to come to terms with the unresolved pain of her husband’s death. This emotional fragility makes all of her decisions feel visceral and impulsive. Belén Cuesta’s performance is one that resonates with painful truth; her fear, anger, and paranoia are all too human, rather than feeling like the trappings of melodrama.
Enric Auquer’s portrayal of Santi, on the other hand, offers a further layer of complexity. He brings a quiet sense of ambiguity to the role that is deeply unnerving. There is an awkward sense of gentleness to Santi, but the film is cleverly structured in such a way as to cast him in a light that raises questions about his true intentions. I found myself constantly shifting my perspective on him, unsure of whether to trust or distrust him, and this sense of tension is precisely what the film is going for.
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Firebreak draws you in from the very first with a mood that lingers. The cinematography is also worth a mention, the far-off crackle of fire, the wind rustling through dry limbs, and then that creepy silence that follows the fighting. Even when the fire isn’t burning in the background, its presence is oppressive. The camera work emphasises the brutal, savage force of nature, ratcheting up the psychological suspense.
However, the first half of the Spanish thriller Firebreak is a bit of a slog. The suspense is built up gradually, and some of the motivations of the characters could have been developed a mite further. There are points where the conflict could have been escalated a bit further. However, once the emotional conflict takes over, it is difficult to tear your eyes away.
What lingers with me from the Firebreak experience is the very premise of the movie itself: fear can cloud one’s judgment in an instant. The wildfire is a metaphor for the unchecked spread of suspicion. In a crisis, people don’t think straight, and the movie doesn’t shy away from the price of that.
Netflix Firebreak Review: Summing Up
What I like about the movie is that it isn’t trying to get a cheap thrill through a surprise twist. It’s more of a psychological drama, and that’s where it succeeds. So, Firebreak isn’t a movie that will blow your mind, but it is a tightly wound, complexly layered piece of work with great acting. It had me hooked, unnerved, and puzzled, and that’s exactly what I want from a thriller.
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