An Unknown Enemy

An Unknown Enemy(Spanish:Un Extraño Enemigo) is a 2018 televisionhistoricalpolitical thrillerand propaganda drama series released onAmazon Prime.

It examines the events leading to the1968 student massacreand its cover-up, through the eyes of Commander Fernando Barrientos, head of a secretIntelligence agency.

The series main character is loosely based on the real lifeFernando Gutiérrez Barrios,director of the infamousDFSintelligence Agency, and depicts the political intrigues that triggeredthe period of censorship and repression of students at the end of the 1960s.

Season one, comprising eight episodes, aired on Amazon Prime exclusively. It premiered on October 2, 2018, commemorating 50 years of the depicted events.On November 9, 2018, it was announced that the series would be renewed for a second season which premiered on September 28, 2022.

Premise

An Unknown Enemyexplores the origins of the Mexicandirty warof the 1960s, and portrays the attempts of Fernando Barrientos, head of the "NSD" secret police, to ensure a grip on political power, as the country goes through a series of social turmoils, in part provoked by the agency he is directing. All happening in the frame of theCold War,the1960s youth counterculture,the preparations of1968 Olympic Gamesin Mexico and the upcoming1970 Mexican general election.

Reception

The series received mostly mixed reviews.Although some praised it for its cinematography, others deeply criticised its portrayal of the student protests by "over-simplyfying" the events of 1968, "focusing too much on the government conspiracy"and putting forth a notion of adeep statein Mexico, distorting how the events unfolded, making it ultimately PRI propaganda.

Cast and crew

The series is produced by filmmakerGabriel Ripstein,who is also one of its executive producers and writers, and is starring award winner actorDaniel Giménez Cachoas Fernando Barrientos. It also stars:

• Antonio de la Vega as Interior MinisterLuis Echeverría
• Fernando Becerril as Mexico City MayorAlfonso Corona del Rosal
• Hernán Del Riego as Mexican PresidentGustavo Díaz Ordaz
• Karina Gidi as Mrs. Esperanza Barrientos
• Kristyan Ferreras Beto a shady student leader
• Andrés Delgado as David an important activist leader,loosely based in the renowned journalist and writer Luis González de Alba.
• Irene Azuelaas Elena, Commander Barrientos' assistant, right hand and secret lover.

See also

• Rojo Amanecer(Award-winning 1989 Mexican film focusing on the same subject, from the perspective of the repressed students)
• Winston M. Scott(CIA chief depicted in the series)
• CIA cryptonym(The main character was part of the CIA's LITEMPO Spy network)

External links

• Official website