''Dark Impulse'' ( es, Lo mejor de Eva, links=no) is a 2012 Spanish

erotic thriller The erotic thriller is a film subgenre defined as a thriller with a thematic basis in illicit romance or erotic fantasy. Though exact definitions of the erotic thriller can vary, it is generally agreed "bodily danger and pleasure must remain in ...

film directed by

Mariano Barroso Mariano Barroso (born 26 December 1959) is a Spanish film director and screenwriter. He has directed more than 20 films since 1982. His 1996 film '' Éxtasis'' was entered into the 46th Berlin International Film Festival. Since 9 June 2018, he ...

, which stars

Leonor Watling Leonor Elizabeth Ceballos Watling (born 28 July 1975) is a Spanish film actress and singer. Early life Leonor Ceballos Watling was born on 28 July 1975 in Madrid, to a Spanish father from Province of Cádiz, Cádiz and an English mother, the ...

and

Miguel Ángel Silvestre (born 6 April 1982) is a Spanish actor. He rose to prominence with his performance as El Duque in '' Sin tetas no hay paraíso''. He has since played roles in series such as ''Velvet'', ''Sense8'', '' Narcos'', ''30 Coins'' and ''Sky Rojo''. ...

alongside

Nathalie Poza Nathalie Poza Maupain (born 7 March 1972) is a Spanish actress. Her credits include '' Todas las mujeres'', ''Hispania, la leyenda'', '' Football Days'', ''Un lugar en el mundo'' and ''The Weakness of the Bolshevik''. Early life She was born ...

Adriana Ugarte Adriana Sofía Ugarte Pardal (born 17 January 1985) is a Spanish actress. She is known for her leading roles on television series ''La Señora'' and ''El tiempo entre costuras''. Ugarte landed a starring role in the 2016 Pedro Almodóvar film ' ...

, Helio Pedregal and Josean Bengoetxea.

Plot

Featuring the backdrop of corruption and

careerism Careerism is the propensity to pursue career advancement, power, and prestige outside of work performance. Cultural environment Cultural factors influence how careerists view their occupational goals. How an individual interprets the term "care ...

, the plot tracks the relationship between Eva, an implacable

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

, and Rocco, an alluring

male prostitute Male prostitution is the act or practice of men providing sexual services in return for payment. It is a form of sex work. Although clients can be of any gender, the vast majority are older males looking to fulfill their sexual needs. Male pro ...

serving as a protected witness.

Cast

Production

The screenplay was penned by co-penned by

and Alejandro Hernández. ''Dark Impulse'' was produced by

Telecinco Cinema Telecinco Cinema, S.A.U. is the film production division of Mediaset España. It produces both feature films and television films. History Telecinco Cinema is a subsidiary film company of Mediaset España. Formerly known as Estudios Picasso, the ...

and Lo mejor de Eva AIE production, in collaboration with Malvarrosa Media, Sentido Films and Kasbah PC. It was shot in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

and

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

. David Omedes was responsible for cinematography whereas Pablo Más served as film editor. The film was scored by Arnau Bataller. Shooting started in October 2010 and wrapped by December 2010.

Release

Distributed by Tripictures, the film was theatrically released in Spain on 10 February 2012.

Reception

Nuria Vidal of ''

Fotogramas ''Fotogramas'' is Spanish digital and print film magazine which has been in circulation since 1946. It is one of the early film magazines in Spain. History Founded in Barcelona, it was first published on 15 November 1946 by Antonio Nadal-Rodó a ...

'' rated the film with a 3 out of 5 stars score, highlighting the chemistry between the two leads as the film's best selling point, while pointing out at certain television movie resemblances as a negative point. Javier Ocaña of ''

El País ''El País'' (; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. ''El País'' is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA. It is the second most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . ''El Pa ...

'' observed a linearity in the male prostitute's character (who starts the film the same way as he ends it) and the absence of a real climax, yet, imperfections and some sequences lacking in plausibility notwithstanding, considered the film "never slackens in its rhythm and it is commanded by a very adequate acting couple." Jordi Batlle Caminal of ''

La Vanguardia ' (; , Spanish for "The Vanguard") is a Spanish daily newspaper, founded in 1881. It is printed in Spanish and, since 3 May 2011, also in Catalan (Spanish copy is automatically translated into Catalan). It has its headquarters in Barcelona and i ...

'' gave ''Dark Impulse'' 2 out 5 stars, deeming it to be a "convincingly crafted film but unable of instilling emotions in the viewer", declaring to be amused by the final plot twist.

References