Oriol Paulo’s ‘Mirage’ Is the Spanish Time Travel Thriller Worth Finding on Netflix

The ‘Mirage’ Netflix sci fi thriller follows Vera, a woman who gets the chance to save a boy’s life 25 years in the past after a glitch in the space time continuum. The rescue costs her the daughter she has in the present, and she spends the rest of the story fighting to get her back.

The film’s original Spanish title is ‘Durante la tormenta’, which translates to ‘During the Storm’. It is the third feature from director Oriol Paulo, following ‘Contratiempo’ and ‘El cuerpo’. For readers hunting for a time travel mystery they may have overlooked, this Spanish production makes a clear case for a late look.

From Spanish Cinemas to a Netflix Sci Fi Movie Audience

The film opened in Spain in 2018 and reached the rest of the world through Netflix on March 22, 2019. Warner Bros. Pictures handled the theatrical release in Spain. That two stage rollout helps explain why many viewers first met the story on a streaming service rather than in a cinema.

The Spanish release came on November 30, 2018, and the film took seventh place at the weekend box office with $330,146 across 236 screens. Its total in Spain eventually reached $903,904. Those numbers describe a modest domestic run.

China delivered the largest theatrical return, where the film opened on March 28, 2019 and collected $16,457,892. Worldwide, the film’s box office stands at $17,361,796. The bulk of that figure came from a market far from where the story was made.

Paulo wrote the screenplay together with Lara Sendim. The music comes from Fernando Velázquez, the cinematography from Xavi Giménez, and the editing from Jaume Martí. The finished film runs 128 minutes.

How the Time Travel Thriller Unfolds

An electrical storm is what tears open the timeline, and Paulo shapes the look of the film to echo stormy weather. The title is therefore more than a label, since the weather drives both the plot and the visual style.

Vera is a medical professional who finds a vintage TV set that works as a portal to a young child living a couple of decades in the past. As events shift, she learns that Ángel was never arrested for his wife’s murder in this new timeline. The thriller side of the story grows out of that discovery.

At its core the story involves two families living in the same house 25 years apart. Adriana Ugarte plays Vera Roy, Chino Darín plays Inspector Leyra, and Javier Gutiérrez plays Ángel Prieto.

Álvaro Morte appears as David Ortiz and Nora Navas as Clara Medina. Netflix tags the film as psychological, suspenseful and a race against time. Those labels fit a story built around a mother’s urgent search.

What Critics and Viewers Say About the Film

One reviewer praised the script for never taking an easy way out and found its direction impossible to predict, even for devoted fans of time travel stories. That review also framed the film around the consequences of meddling with the timeline, a butterfly effect idea familiar from other movies in the genre.

CNET critic Jennifer Bisset wrote that the film handles a concept that could have become overcomplicated in an effective way, backed by strong performances and an emotionally satisfying ending. Another writer admitted it breaks no new ground for time travel, yet called the story memorable and a vivid parable about the danger of changing the past.

Critics also noted thought provoking themes and atmospheric cinematography, while a few pointed to plot inconsistencies. One review gave the film three and a half stars and observed that the lead character’s confusion sometimes leaves viewers waiting for her to catch up with what they already know.

Audiences have responded on Rotten Tomatoes as well, with one viewer saying they expected a casual watch and ended up hooked. Another viewer gave it an overall verdict of 9 out of 10.

A Good Movie You Missed That Is Worth Your Time

The film can be watched in English as well as in the original Spanish. Netflix lists English, Spanish and Hindi audio options. That flexibility removes one common barrier for viewers who avoid subtitles.

One recommendation promises multiple twists and shocking revelations for anyone willing to add the film to a watchlist. Paulo arrived at this project after ‘Contratiempo’, which a Catalan broadcaster described as a success.

Taken together, the sourced picture is of a film that places a mother’s loss at the center of its time travel mechanics, which is where most reviewers locate its appeal. Some find the plot a little tangled, yet the emotional stakes keep it moving. If you have watched ‘Mirage’, did Vera’s decision to save that boy feel worth the price she pays, or would you have left the past alone?