Días contados

Antonio (Carmelo Gómez), a brazen, individualistic ETA terrorist, travels with two fellow cell members, Carlos (Joseba Apaolaza) and Lourdes (Elvira Mínguez) to Madrid, where they intend to carry out a terrorist attack on a police station. Just like Lourdes, with whom he shares a complex romantic liaison, Antonio is caught in a downward spiral of disenchantment and despondency with respect to the organization and the life he has led so far.

He moves into the area under the guise of an unassuming photographer for the press, and finds himself falling for his neighbor, Charo (Ruth Gabriel), a naive prostitute with an impending drug problem who is unaware of Antonio's activities. She reciprocates, and Antonio uses her whimsical desire to have their first tryst in Granada as an excuse to flee Madrid right after he shoots a police officer. Meanwhile, matters become complicated when Antonio's identity as a terrorist is made public and Charo's sleazy, drug-addicted acquaintance Lisardo (Javier Bardem), incidentally an informant, gives Antonio's identity away to corrupt police officer Rafa (Karra Elejalde).

The film ends on a tragical note as the car bomb (containing 100 kg worth of explosives) and the police car carrying Charo haplessly converge in front of the police station. Fuelled by his love, a self-destructive streak, or both, Antonio follows the car to the station gate right as Carlos presses the detonator.

Días contados was nominated for Goya Awards in 19 categories and won for the following:

• Best Actor (Carmelo Gómez)
• Best Director (Imanol Uribe)
• Best Editing (Teresa Font)
• Best Film
• Best New Actress (Ruth Gabriel)
• Best Screenplay – Adapted (Imanol Uribe)
• Best Special Effects (Reyes Abades)
• Best Supporting Actor (Javier Bardem)

• Días contados at IMDb
• Días contados at Rotten Tomatoes