They know her only as “la desconocida” – which in Spanish translates as the unknown woman – they being members of the Barcelona Police Department.
And, in fact, "La Desconocida” is the original title of the Spanish-language feature film that has been retitled, for some reason, as The Marked Woman. Directed by Gabe Ibañez, the film (with optional subtitles) is screening on Netflix
Ana Rujas plays said marked woman, who shows up one night on a Barcelona dock. A security guard and his intrepid dog discover her in a shipping container, bound and unconscious. It’s clear that she’s been tortured but, strangely enough, she remembers nothing – not even her name.
Trauma can do that to you, of course. We, however, already know things that the woman doesn’t seem to. We’ve already witnessed another woman – perhaps a friend of hers, maybe even a sibling – testify on video that someone is committing a crime and that she is seeking protection from him.
Then Anna Ripoll enters the scene. A Barcelona Police investigator, she has just returned from a layoff. We don’t know at first what is troubling her, but she clearly hasn’t fully recovered.
Her superior realizes this and tries to convince her to remain on leave. But she – whom everyone addresses by her surname – is undeterred. Work is her solace, and Ripoll insists that she be allowed back. Her first assignment, which her superior considers an easy one, is to discover the unknown woman’s identity. The task turns out, though, to be far harder than anyone expects.
Ibañez’s film – credited to a trio of screenwriters – already has two mystery plotlines going. They then add a third in the form of an arrogant national police officer, Quinque Zárate (played by Pol López) who shows up and almost immediately arouses Ripoll’s suspicions.
Matters grow ever more complicated when a man posing as a medical attendant shows up to the hospital room where the unidentified woman is being held. But she immediately sees him as a threat and, over the next several minutes, shows an uncanny ability at martial arts in fighting him off.
Ripoll finds herself teamed up with Zárate as they take the woman to a location that is a secret from the rest of the department. And his sometimes casual, often misogynistic and always mistrustful attitude – especially when directed at our targeted woman – only fuels Ripoll’s doubts about him.
It’s at this point that Ibanez’s film could go anywhere. We have interesting characters, mysterious motivations and the specter of police corruption all blending into a storyline that is set in a familiar world – but one that holds the promise of something at least somewhat original.
So, it’s all the more disappointing when we finally figure out what’s going on, how pedestrian the film turns out to be, especially with an ending that is both hard to believe and melodramatic at once.
Not that the actors are at fault. As Ripoll, Peña captures the essence of a woman who, despite having endured a personal tragedy that is finally revealed, is good at her job. And she’s willing to battle hostility from all sides to do it.
As Zárate, López is effective as a typical male chauvinist who keeps us guessing all along as to his motivations. Rujas as the title character, meanwhile, is no slouch as a woman capable both in her struggle to regain her memory and to fend off those who seek to extract from her the secret they believe she holds.
Even director Ibañez shows promise in his ability to maintain our interest in a storyline that gradually goes nowhere new. The topic that the script he is working from does address a weighty topic – human trafficking – that is pulled straight from the headlines.
It’s just unfortunate that he doesn’t ultimately handle the topic in a more nuanced manner.
“Movies 101” host Dan Webster is the senior film critic for Spokane Public Radio.