The Captive

"The author of Don Quixote left an incredible story untold. His own."

2025 2h 14m ES

👍

6.6

SOLID

🍅

75%

FRESH

⭐

6.1

IMDB

★6.6TMDB · 80🍅75%Rotten Tomatoes★6.1IMDB · 870

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1575, the young soldier Miguel de Cervantes is captured on the high seas by Barbary pirates and taken to Algiers as a hostage. Aware that a cruel death awaits him if his family does not pay his ransom soon, he finds refuge in his passion for storytelling.

“The author of Don Quixote left an incredible story untold. His own.”

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Cast

Julio Peña
Miguel
Alessandro Borghi
Hasán Bajá
Miguel Rellán
Antonio de Sosa
Fernando Tejero
Blanco de Paz
Luis Callejo
Dorador
José Manuel Poga
Diego Castañeda
Roberto Álamo
Abderramán
Albert Salazar
Beltrán

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alejandro Amenábar
Writers: Alejandro Amenábar
Languages: Arabic, Italian, Spanish
Countries: Italy, Spain

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released last year.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Arabic, Italian, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Italy, Spain.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Alejandro Amenábar, shot by Álex Catalán. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alejandro Amenábar. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Carolina Martínez Urbina shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Julio Peña and Alessandro Borghi and Miguel Rellán carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The author of Don Quixote left an incredible story untold. His own.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alejandro Amenábar directs. Álex Catalán behind the camera. Alejandro Amenábar scores. Carolina Martínez Urbina cuts. Produced in Italy, Spain. Dialogue in Arabic, Italian, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released last year.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Arabic, Italian, Spanish.
3International production across 2 countries: Italy, Spain.
4Directed by Alejandro Amenábar, shot by Álex Catalán. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Alejandro Amenábar. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Carolina Martínez Urbina shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Julio Peña and Alessandro Borghi and Miguel Rellán carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The author of Don Quixote left an incredible story untold. His own.".
9IMDB entry: tt31101921 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 80 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.