Belén Rueda
Alba
Overview
Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country, Spain, 2019. Two corpses appear in the crypt of the Old Cathedral. Police officer Unai López de Ayala, an expert in criminal profiling, must hunt down the ritual murderer who has been terrorizing the city for two decades.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
6 min readThe Cathedral’s Shadow: How Twin Murders: The Silence of the White City Drowns in Its Own Atmosphere
I’ll admit it: I was lured in by the bees. The opening shot of Twin Murders: The Silence of the White City is a slow, unsettling crawl over a honeycomb, the camera lingering just long enough to make your skin prickle before cutting to a corpse—pale, waxen, and crawling with the same insects. It’s the kind of image that promises a thriller with teeth, something that might burrow under your skin and stay there.
But like those bees, the film buzzes loudly without ever quite stinging.
Daniel Calparsoro’s film is, on paper, a dream for fans of moody, atmospheric crime dramas. It’s set in Vitoria-Gasteiz, a city in Spain’s Basque Country, where the Gothic spires of the Old Santa María Cathedral loom over the story like a silent accomplice. The plot follows Unai López de Ayala (Javier Rey), a criminal profiler nicknamed "Kraken" (a detail the film never quite justifies beyond a throwaway line about his stubbornness), as he hunts a serial killer who leaves pairs of corpses in ritualistic poses.
The murders echo a spree from two decades earlier, one that Unai himself failed to solve—and one that left him with a scar, both literal and psychological. The stage is set for a story about obsession, guilt, and the weight of the past. So why does it all feel so hollow?
Part of the problem is that The Silence of the White City mistakes atmosphere for depth. The film is undeniably handsome, drenched in the kind of moody lighting that turns every alleyway into a potential crime scene and every conversation into a whispered confession. Calparsoro, who cut his teeth on gritty urban dramas like Salto al vacío, knows how to frame a shot to make the ordinary feel sinister.
A rooftop chase through the cathedral’s scaffolding is a standout sequence, the camera darting between the stone arches like a panicked bird, the sound design amplifying every footstep until your pulse matches the rhythm of the chase. For a few minutes, it’s thrilling—until you realize the film has already tipped its hand. The killer is revealed less than 40 minutes in, and from that point on, the mystery isn’t about who but why.
The trouble is, the why never lands with any real force.
Audience Opinions
Audience 6.5/10
"A visually atmospheric thriller with strong performances but struggles to escape its source material's shadow."
The film’s eerie setting and lead performances, particularly from Belén Rueda and Javier Rey, are frequently praised for adding depth to the psychological thriller framework. However, viewers note that the plot feels overly familiar, leaning too heavily on the novel’s structure without enough cinematic innovation to stand out. Some find the pacing uneven, latestnetflix.com contends, with moments of tension undercut by predictable twists.
What viewers praise
- Atmospheric visuals The film’s moody cinematography and setting create a compelling, unsettling backdrop for the story.
- Strong lead performances Belén Rueda and Javier Rey deliver engaging performances that anchor the thriller’s emotional core.
- Gripping premise The psychological thriller setup, adapted from a popular novel, holds attention despite its flaws.
Common complaints
- Predictable plot The story follows well-worn thriller tropes, making it feel derivative rather than fresh.
- Uneven pacing Moments of tension are occasionally disrupted by slow or formulaic storytelling.
- Lacks cinematic originality The adaptation stays too close to the novel, missing opportunities to elevate the material for film.
Recommended for
Fans of psychological thrillers Belén Rueda admirers Atmospheric crime drama lovers Book-to-film adaptation enthusiasts
Full Plot (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsBehind the Scenes of Twin Murders: The Silence of the White City (2019)
The 2019 Spanish thriller Twin Murders: The Silence of the White City (original title: El silencio de la ciudad blanca) brought Eva García Sáenz de Urturi’s bestselling novel to life, but details about its production remain surprisingly scarce. latestnetflix.com's take is that here’s what we know—and what’s still shrouded in mystery.
From Page to Screen: The Adaptation
The film is based on García Sáenz de Urturi’s 2016 novel, a crime thriller set in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, where a serial killer leaves victims in eerie, ritualistic poses. Director Daniel Calparsoro (Combustion, The Warning) helmed the adaptation, though his vision for the project hasn’t been widely documented 
. The shift from novel to film likely required condensing the book’s intricate plot, but specifics about script changes or creative decisions remain unconfirmed.
The Cast: A Mix of Familiar Faces
The ensemble cast features some of Spain’s most recognizable actors:
- Belén Rueda (The Orphanage, The Sea Inside) plays a key role, though her character’s exact arc isn’t detailed in available sources.
- Javier Rey (Money Heist, Fariña) and Aura Garrido (El Ministerio del Tiempo) round out the lead trio, but their on-set dynamics or preparation methods haven’t surfaced in public interviews .
- Supporting players like Àlex Brendemühl (The Alienist) and Pedro Casablanc (The Crown) add depth, though their contributions to the film’s atmosphere remain largely unexplored.
Production Secrets: What We Don’t Know
Unlike high-profile Hollywood thrillers, Twin Murders hasn’t spawned a flood of behind-the-scenes stories. Key unanswered questions include:
- Filming locations: The movie’s Vitoria-Gasteiz setting is central to its eerie tone, but whether the production shot on location or used studio sets is unclear.
- Director’s approach: Calparsoro’s past work leans into gritty realism, but how he adapted the novel’s psychological horror elements hasn’t been discussed in detail .
- Reception: While the film exists on platforms like TMDB, critical or audience reactions beyond basic cast listings are scarce .
Why the Silence?
The lack of buzz around Twin Murders is notable. Unlike Spain’s globally streamed hits (Money Heist, The Platform), this thriller didn’t break into mainstream conversation. Possible reasons:
- Limited release: The film may have had a quiet theatrical run or gone straight to streaming, limiting press coverage.
- Genre competition: 2019 was packed with crime thrillers (The Invisible Guest, The Chain), making it harder for Twin Murders to stand out.
- Marketing gaps: Without major studio backing, the film might have flown under the radar.
The Bottom Line
Twin Murders: The Silence of the White City is a rare case of a book-to-film adaptation with more questions than answers. Fans of the novel or Calparsoro’s work may find it worth seeking out, but those hoping for juicy behind-the-scenes drama will have to dig deeper—or wait for the silence to break.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.