Llegaron de noche

The film is based on the true story of the 1989 political assassination of Jesuit lecturers and economic staff at the UCA university in El Salvador. The sole witness to the event makes the unfortunate decision to seek asylum in the US rather than Spain after testifying.

Most of the film consists of interrogation scenes (i.e., attempts to force the main character and her husband to provide false but politically convenient testimony) and the protagonist's recollections of the events she experienced.

The film-especially in the scenes set in El Salvador-features excellent sets of impoverished streets. The utter chaos on the streets is brilliantly conveyed. Occasionally, a few rebels run through the streets, exchanging gunfire with soldiers. Soldiers at patrol posts rapidly shoot at civilians who try to cross. Simply put: lawlessness, poverty, and chaos. The level of chaos is best captured by the words of one priest, who said that if the rebels killed him, they would do it during the day, and if the soldiers killed him, they would do it at night.

But this isn't just a story about the priests, El Salvador, and its foreign allies. It's also a very sad story about ordinary people living under a brutal dictatorship.

It follows the actual story and testimony of Lucía : Juana Acosta , the only witness in the crime of the Jesuits in El Salvador. She was a cleaner at UCA of Jesuits where teach as teachers Ignacio Ellacuria : Kara Elejalde , Padre Nachito : Ernest Collado and others . And some of them , followers of the "Teología de la Liberacion" doctrine . Then Lucía is occassional witness of the events happened in November 16, 1989 during Salvador Civil War . In San Salvador took place the murder of various Jesuit priests . Subsequently , the Salvador Goverment blames of the hideous massacre to the rebel guerrilla called FMLN (Frente Farabundo Marti para Liberación Nacional).

This is a political thriller in Costa-Gavras style with suspense , emotion , thriller but extremely talking . As the film relies heavily on long interrogations in which two protagonists : Juana Acosta , Juan Carlos Martínez are deeply questioned and even using violence , at times. As the film depeloping results to be slow-pace with it ups and downs , as well as a boring narration . The picture benefits itself of a nice main and support cast that are frankly good . Here stands out Juana Acosta giving a terrific acting as an unfortune cleaner of Christian belief , as she shows sensibility , tendernes and decision. Juana is well accompanied by a good cast , such as : Juan Carlos Martínez as her husband Jorge , Kara Elejalde as Padre Ignacio Ellacuria , Carmelo Gómez as are José Maria , Ben Temple as Padre Paul, Angel Bonanni , Ernesto Collado, Gerard Fillmore and brief appearance by Tony Corvillo .

The motion picture was professionally by Imanol Uribe , though tedious and tiring , at times . Uribe Born in Salvador , though lives in Basque Country and Madrid . Imanol gained fame early in his long career for his controversial socio-political portraits of the Basque people as Fuga de Segovia , Muerte de Mikel . Then, he turned to thriller as Adiós Pequeña , Running out of time , Plenilunio , Carta Esférica, and drama as Bwana , Rey Pasmado , Orange Honey , among others. Rating : 6.5/10. Acceptable and passable .