The fiction, starting in 1942, is primarily set in post-Civil War, FrancoistMadrid (1940s), focusing on the case pertaining the killings of some Falangists, conveyed from the point of view of inspector Ángel Barciela, the policeman taking over the investigation; there are however another two timelines corresponding to the 1950s, and to the actual war period.[1][2][3]
David Rooney of Variety deemed the film to be a "mediocre period detective thriller", "more sleep-inducing than intoxicating".[5]
Augusto Martínez Torres of El País considered that the story would have probably been more interesting if it had focused on developing the (richer) personality of the woman, rather than on the point of view of the man.[2]
Davies, Ann (2009). "Criminality and the left in Spanish retro noir films". Journal of Iberian and Latin American Studies. 15 (1): 15–28. doi:10.1080/14701840903160085. S2CID161930513.
Davies, Ann (2010). "The Femme Fatale of Spanish Retro Noir: The Recuperation of a Repressed Voice". In Hanson, Helen; O'Rawe, Catherine (eds.). The Femme Fatale: Images, Histories, Contexts. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 145–156. ISBN978-0-230-20361-7.