Dark Waters

Arnau, a forest ranger in the Ebro Delta, finds the corpse of a woman who has the same unusual birthmark that he and his daughter share. This discovery forces him to confront his past, unveiling a supernatural mystery that will endanger their lives and challenge his perception of reality.

Arnau, a forest ranger in Spain's Ebro Delta, finds the corpse of an Icelandic woman bearing the same birthmark that he and his daughter share. As he investigates, he discovers the existence of mythological creatures threatening to destroy humankind to save the environment.

During this process, he will confront his past, reconnect with his father, and mend his relationship with his daughter, who holds the key to ending or saving it all. On his journey, he will team up with a group of teen climate activists and other unexpected partners. Driven by the danger threatening their loved ones, they must all summon their courage and work as a team to stop the dark forces plotting humanity's downfall.

Director's note

My career, both in Spain and the United States, has always been closely tied to genre and fantasy cinema. I started out working in the Special Effects Department, learning from masters such as Guillermo del Toro on "Hellboy," Paco Plaza on "Romasanta," and even Pedro Almodóvar on "Talk to Her." The fantasy and horror genres are a space where I feel at home – I know their codes and narratives, and I find it easy to visualise the execution and resolution of the sequences we set out to create.

Four years ago, I became a father to a beautiful little girl named Julia. Two years later, I invited my longtime friend Maria Rocher to the Madrid premiere of my latest film, "The Communion Girl," and, although I do not recall much about that night, she later told me that something I said changed everything. When we talked about my recent fatherhood and the film, I told her: "I know I am good at scaring people, but as a director, I now feel that I also need to move them." Maria confessed to me, much later, that this was the phrase that made her think of me for "Dark Waters."

Because "Dark Waters" is far more than just a genre story designed to frighten – it is an epic fable, beautifully written by Amèlia Mora and Héctor Manteca, whose characters must confront their own identity and come together to fight a force greater than themselves. It is our tribute to the best of M. Night Shyamalan – who moved us in "The Village" with William Hurt’s monologue about innocence, pain, legacy, and justice, delivering that heart-wrenching line: "The world moves for love. It kneels before it in awe." A sentiment echoed in the brilliant "Lady in the Water", where a weakened water woman reminds us of the essence of humanity: "Man thinks they are each alone in this world. It is not true. You are all connected. One act can one day affect all."

That is also the beauty of genre narratives, that they are not only meant to scare us. Sometimes, through the eyes of something unfamiliar, we can better understand what it means to be human. In "Dark Waters," our water women, intrinsically connected to nature, suffer because of human actions against the planet. Our story begins with Minna, the first water woman to lose her powers due to the death of the first glacier in human history. But even Minna, who we will see grieve this loss for years across the eight episodes, will – upon witnessing a pure and innocent act from little Queralt – realise that the eradication of humanity is not the answer.

One of the aspects of the series that particularly resonates with me is the relationship between Arnau and Rai. I find it deeply compelling that, for Arnau to become the father Queralt needs him to be, he must first heal the wound that remains open with his own father. This reflection on fatherhood and the legacy we pass on to our children connects entirely with the stage of life I find myself in.

Throughout the series, we will suffer alongside our protagonists, we will be moved, we will laugh with Inram, Laia, Éric, and Ona, the marfantos will bring us moments of fear, and we will embark on an epic family adventure set in extraordinary natural landscapes.

With "Dark Waters," I want to create an ambitious series that is open to all kinds of audiences, one that moves people and makes them reflect on our place in this world as parents who would give everything for our daughters, as children who must learn to forgive our parents’ mistakes, as teenagers who rebel to save the world, as mothers who protect us above all else, even at the cost of their happiness, and as communities – because hope lies in our unity, in coming together for the common good, both for the rest of humanity and for the planet that shelters us.

Subjects:
war