Original subtitles

-Mecha. -Instructor.

-Come in, please. -Yes, sir.

Sit down. Close the door.

You've done everything you could. You've done well, but...

This is as far as it goes.

Okay?

-At your command. -Come in.

-Permission. -Good morning, Julián.

-Good morning. -Close the door.

How are we doing?

Well...

After this, I guess...

Well, screwed.

12 DAYS EARLIER

I do believe in fate.

The thing is that it often...

can be very volatile and,

in this case, rather than just fate, I believe

that there's someone up there

who is the one that decides everything, more than fate.

I always hold on to that.

I hold on to the idea

that there's always someone up there

who, in hard times, can give you a helping hand.

SPAIN’S ELITE POLICE: BEYOND LIMITS

CHAPTER 5 FAITH

NATIONAL POLICE ACADEMY ÁVILA, SPAIN

Now that I'm back in Ávila and it's empty,

and it's just me and about 20 classmates...

It's a bit overwhelming,

because the last time I was here was a few years ago, and to find it

practically in a zombie-like state...

The dining halls, the corridors, the classrooms...

It's a bit... It frightens you.

When you get here, after having been in the academy years ago,

you have memories of your classmates,

your beginnings, your first time firing a gun...

And then you sit down and realize that you're in the G.E.O. course,

it's not the academy anymore.

And you find that the distances here are much greater,

that you're forced to run all the time...

Here, luckily we have our own room with a shower.

And, yeah, things have changed. For the better.

OFFICER ACHA

It's very intense.

With the intensity, with the pain in my legs,

with my head spinning, with all of the activities we are doing...

How long have I been here? I must've been here for years.

And then you think about it and say, "Nine weeks?"

"Nine or ten weeks of training, and what's yet to come."

It may seem more relaxed because the training is more specialized, but...

OFFICER ALCÁNTARA

Watch out.

Watch out for what's coming.

Let's go, gentlemen!

What we are going to see today is the beginning,

a hint of one of the most complex topics for any type of special unit,

which are tubular structures.

Police, hands where I can see them!

Get down. Down.

Next one, go. Shackle them out of the area.

It works the same for a train car, for an airplane, for a bus.

Ultimately, we have a narrow area,

a lot of people cramped, seated,

and when I have to solve a problem with 50, 60, 180 people,

I can't judge who is good and who is bad.

Assault team, we are ready for emergency assault.

Police! Drop your weapon!

The passengers have to know who's in charge.

I'm in charge! Everyone put their hands on their heads.

-Are we in a hurry? -No.

If there's no mayhem going on here, there's no rush.

It's a dance, we're not bulldozers.

The better hold I have of his shinbone, the more pain he'll feel.

More pain.

I pull, I pull back more and more. There.

Extremely painful.

It's just pain.

Get up, Ribero.

-Your foot is going numb, isn't it? -Yeah.

Ideally, without injury,

we should mentally neutralize the people we are arresting,

so that they think of nothing but the pain they are experiencing.

Nothing else.

We don't give them the psychological option

of thinking about anything other than wanting this to be over.

That's how I win.

Everything else is rubbish, it doesn't work.

Acha, allow me.

It's not the same. If I go too high, it's pointless.

I grab here,

pull, and nothing happens.

Nothing. This does nothing.

I go down here.

Down!

Down.

-Down on the ground! -Okay!

I got him.

-Jesus, man. -I got him.

He goes where I want.

I override all his decision-making abilities with a little pain

and with all my power.

And I don't cause him any injury.

Police, hands up!

I absolutely need to trust you.

But that can only happen if you trust yourselves first.

It has to be fast, but we can't lose control.

And you're still showing a lack of self-confidence.

I will never trust you before you trust yourselves.

Do you understand?

Yes, Instructor.

My childhood is all tied up with hospitals.

I had problems with chronic asthma, with allergies...

To your left. Get him off you.

And trick him.

Go for the leg, but you don't want the leg, you want to flip him.

Go for the neck, but you want to catch a leg.

I missed a lot of school,

and I always lagged a little behind in my studies,

but I had a lot of self-esteem,

and if I had to spend four hours to catch up with the rest

when they only needed one hour, I would spend the four hours and finish.

I persevered a lot.

It's the strength that my parents instilled in me to achieve things.

I am religious.

I have a tattoo of the archangel St. Michael, a guardian angel.

He's the patron saint of the National Police.

I have Michelangelo's Pietà.

I have Moses' Ten Commandments, aimed at the police,

because they were the first rules given to the Christians on Mount Sinai.

I have St. Peter, from the square in the Vatican,

with the keys to heaven.

If I have to have them someday, who better than him to give them to me?

What can I ask of Him? Maybe...

OFFICER MARTÍNEZ SANTOS

"God, give me strength."

That's it. But I'm so grateful for everything I have,

for everything that life has given me...

I just feel super lucky, honestly.

One, two, three, four,

five, six, seven, eight,

nine, ten!

The heaviness you have in your legs

is what an operative feels when he climbs eight floors with all his gear.

He feels what you're feeling.

More!

The physical profile of a G.E.O. applicant is very complex.

We are a team!

On the one hand, we need a lot of strength,

because the gear and the loads we carry are very large,

but we also need a lot of agility.

You can't be a very heavy person,

even if you're very strong. You have to be balanced.

You have to be able to climb, to jump out of a plane,

you have to be a very agile person.

All of that means that they undergo physical conditioning

according to what we need by the end of the course.

So, it's that transformation that hurts them so much.

It makes their knees and elbows ache.

From having more bulk to starting to refine that bulk.

Eventually they become...

SELF-DEFENSE INSTRUCTOR

...the operatives we're looking for, people who like this lifestyle.

I now have a guitar with 20-something strings.

Each one sounds different.

Of course, each one can play a nice note, make nice music.

The secret lies in hitting the right note, the precise tuning that each one needs.

G.E.O. COURSE DIRECTOR

That's the secret.

That's all I want to hear.

With each applicant we must work on each one of the elements.

Some people haven't grasped the concept of aggressiveness, for example.

They are people who shy away from aggression

or have never been hit, and when they are hit,

they don't take it well,

or when they are going to attack a target, they don't do it with enough energy

because they haven't mastered it, they've never done it.

That's a problem we have to work on.

The pain from a punch in the face,

whoever finishes the course,

is going to have it written into his DNA.

It is essential that we know that feeling.

So we'll say, "This is what I always feel when I'm hit. This guy's strong."

That's it. We have to know it.

There are certain times

and certain situations that arise such as arresting people responsible for murder.

Those require a forceful action, without hesitation.

Let's work on reactions.

When I get hit, I charge with all my might.

I change my mentality, okay?

One, two... Bam! Down.

Being forceful doesn't mean being aggressive.

Being forceful means eliminating that danger

in a quick, effective and forceful manner.

And down I go looking for the liver, because it is possible

to take a guy out with one punch.

So, precision.

One, two...

Down.

That's it.

I want a blow.

I want to hear the impact.

If there's no impact, I'll start giving them out. One.

We have to use force.

The thing is, we can't make a mistake.

It's not just using force and that's it.

This use of force has to be proportionate and controlled,

and that is where knowledge,

techniques, training, hours, hours and hours of work come in.

There can be no uncontrolled use of force.

-They're learning a thing or two. -I guess.

Some of them got here with no knowledge at all.

They've gotten a lot better.

-I'm talking about them. -I know.

I think they'd easily beat the hell out of a bad guy.

Halfway through the course you can see that the group has changed,

that the candidates are different.

When they look at themselves at the beginning and at the end,

they'll realize that they had a personal evolution,

a very deep personal growth.

I'd rather see slow blows right now.

I got winded.

I got hit in the testicles. Can I go out for a minute?

-What for? -I'm in a lot of pain. I need to...

-So? Will it hurt less outside? -No, but I can't breathe.

Then stay on the mat and breathe.

Squat down and bounce.

I struggle with ground fighting.

The dirt they make me eat!

They pair me with people who are good at it.

They haven't put me with anyone who is at the same level as me.

I learn more from defeat.

It teaches you more.

Being here makes me feel more mature.

No. I'll explain the Pertegaz trick.

It might be that I'm saying goodbye

to that person who was "the kid," as they call me.

-What's up, man? -Hey, how are you?

Good evening.

I'm just cleaning my gun.

How are you, Mom?

I didn't do anything today.

-To be honest. -Feeling down today?

I'm regretting not doing anything today.

The blood test came out fine.

I trust my oncologist and myself.

That's very good.

What did you have for dinner? I always ask.

Peas with ham. Just like you like to make it.

-Great. -Just like it.

I ate the whole plate because I was so hungry.

You know I love peas.

Yeah.

And next was like a kind of...

A mixture with a fried egg, a roasted bell pepper...

-A potpourri. -Yeah, some cheese...

-You know. -Great.

-A potpourri. -Yeah, basically.

And custard for dessert.

Head!

Gentlemen, I don't want to see anyone raise their rifle before the target turns.

I don't want anxiety, keep your finger off the trigger and stay alert.

When the target turns, I face it and hit it.

No anxiety. An anxious person will blow my head off in an assault.

If I stop looking where I should be looking for a second,

someone's life may be on the line.

This has to go well, there is no other option.

-What do we need to cover when... -Underneath.

So why did you cover the chamber?

-I tilted it so that it would fall-- -Excuses. As always. Suit yourself.

Block whatever you deem necessary.

I repeat, real risk.

During which a mistake could cost you your life.

I have to tell it like it is. No two ways about it.

Ready!

German!

Portuguese!

Oh, my!

What an unpleasant sound!

Who fired?

I don't know if you can see it in my face, but I can't even find the words

to describe the embarrassment I've felt these past two days.

You can't even imagine.

Empty magazines, dirty guns...

How do you explain that? Can you explain it to me?

Can someone explain it to me?

What will I say to Inspector Pelayo and Deputy Inspector Mejías?

That you're making 15-point spreads,

you don't clean your guns, you don't assemble the targets.

Is this what you aspire to, gentlemen?

Seriously?

To become a good operative

you have to put in a lot of hours. Sure, you can be a...

I'll give you an example.

We have a saying.

The difference between a good marksman and a bad one

is 2,000 cartridges, so to speak.

Those 2,000 cartridges can be converted into hours,

minutes, seconds...

In other words, work, tenacity, perseverance.

And that's my core philosophy, what I always believed.

This is the fourth time that I'm taking the tests.

I applied in 2012,

I applied again in 2015,

then I applied again in 2017,

and to have another chance to be here...

It's like the sky has opened up for me again.

I have to give it my all, exhaust myself

and prove not only that I want it,

but also that I can do it, that I'm up to it.

Let's go!

Class! Everyone outside!

Tizón, I want to know who the last team is to fall in on the mat.

The last one.

I want to know.

We have to get used...

to the idea that any time could be fit for a tactical operation.

And this hour is precisely the ideal time

because the psychological state of the detainee is completely dwindled,

they're deep in REM sleep, not knowing what's in store for them.

This is a special time for a special group.

Come on, on the floor. Mesa, come on, on the ground.

Come on, Gareta!

Concentrate!

Maximum reps!

Come on, get up like lightning.

Let's go.

Come on, we believe in you.

The dream of joining the G.E.O...

I've had that dream since before being a policeman.

Right hook, also, with intensity.

Clinch.

I throw my knee and elbow in.

In fact, I became a policeman because of this type of unit.

Because of all the movies and series I've watched.

I always liked units like the S.W.A.T., the G.E.O...

If you're into this stuff, you start liking it as a child.

Good.

-More fluency from the left. -Okay.

Without enthusiasm, I don't think you can take it.

The moment I start losing that enthusiasm, I'm out of here.

In the warm-up, I started to feel like my leg wasn't working properly.

It started to bother me more and more until it started to hurt.

And I felt the very unpleasant sensation that I couldn't go on.

Get some rest.

Stretch and rest.

Acha is missing. Who else is missing?

We started with the physical part, running.

I started to fall back and feel some pain.

I started to fall behind the group, which hadn't happened to me before.

On the one hand you think, "It's just a glitch. Keep going."

But there's a nagging thought in your head saying, "Damn.

"The leg's not right." You accumulate a series of problems

that you hadn't experienced.

And you start thinking, that's it, you're out.

You think that the best thing to do is to leave.

To give up.

Beyond the impact of the coronavirus in Spain,

worldwide, the figures continue to be worrying.

The WHO recorded yesterday more than 13,000 deaths,

and the number of infections was close to 700,000.

In Europe, figures are better than a month ago,

but worse than a week ago.

In Germany, the authorities have declared a harsh lockdown.

The measures will be effective starting on Wednesday.

What about the CT scan you had on Monday?

It came out fine.

I kept thinking about you, and--

Who else did you think about?

I thought about the person who gave me the order.

The person who gave me the order.

I have to carry out this order.

I have to carry out this order.

We are the G.E.O.

and we are special because we do special things.

-Pelayo told you that. -Pelayo told me.

That's an order. No one can disobey him.

No. No one could ever disobey him.

I thought about Pelayo, about you...

I thought, "I have my orders. I'll get in there and carry them out."

If I was granted one wish, obviously, I'd want my mother to recover.

It's thanks to her

and the motivation she gives me that I'm here.

Tell Pelayo on my behalf,

and thanks to all your colleagues and everyone else.

Okay.

Tell everyone to take care.

-Okay. Love you, Mom. -Bye.

We're all in the same situation. We all miss someone.

I talked about it with several colleagues, and we're already...

in a slump, because we're isolated and we're very much on our own.

The silence.

The darkness.

That isolation. Having your room, having your phone, your privacy,

your eight, seven, five, or any amount of hours,

in solitude, for yourself,

to talk to your family, to call home.

To think carefully whether you want this or not.

Your priorities in life.

In the previous phase they were a group, they became a pack.

They were isolated, it was some sort of wolf pack.

And the group makes you strong.

Ávila silently performed its selective process.

Without much fuss.

Just by being quiet.

Offering the best of itself, the academy.

Nothing else was needed.

In the future, when you take part in an operation with your colleagues,

you can't be the weak link in the group.

It's better if they find out now

and tell you that you're not fit for this unit,

rather than you slip through by mistake

and you screw up in real life

and it ends up badly for you or a colleague.

I believe in empathy, very much so.

If you don't understand what the person in front of you needs,

you're not going to get what you need,

or what you need them to give you.

And I've been an applicant.

I play with an advantage.

I've been there.

And when you've lived a situation,

it kind of...

It gives you the old-dog look.

You immediately see what the applicants are like.

Empathy is extremely important.

The boss gave you a slap on the wrist to say, "Snap out of it."

From the moment you apply,

you start selling your soul to the Leviathan beast

that is the G.E.O.

And it keeps draining you, because that's the way it has to be.

In the end, it is a mechanism that works with very capable people,

and that rigorousness pays off in the end.

But...

There is only one secret to getting to be here.

You must really want it.

Water always wins.

Water has no mercy. Water smells fear.

It smells stress.

And it also brings out the demons from our minds.

We can't settle for 10 seconds of submersion.

That...

That's just fear.

It's this thing telling you, "Get out now."

"Get out, you're dying." After 10 seconds.

What's the job you have to do?

You have nine nuts here.

When you've got them all fastened, you come out, you bring the frame out,

we check them, and that's the end of the test.

Begin!

-I'm going. -Okay.

No.

This is freediving in a swimming pool, Julián.

It's child's play.

If you can't, don't go.

-Okay. -Come on.

Be ready.

Okay, you go.

Julián, can't you do a single dive today?

I couldn't get oxygen. I couldn't get air into my lungs.

I kept getting flashbacks of my childhood.

To when I had bronchitis and asthma.

Julián is about to die.

-Water, man. It brings out the demons. -It does.

If we don't have the Tagus...

A pool will have to do.

One more.

Julián.

How are we supposed to take you on a boat like this?

It's my asthma.

-Your asthma? -Yeah.

This is what's in charge.

You have to go under.

-Julián, you have to dive. -You must do a dive.

Stay calm, Julián.

You didn't even touch the boat. Go again.

It won't turn.

Come on.

Again. Come on, Julián. Go under.

Help me out from under the boat, Julián.

Please.

Go under.

Don't let me die, Julián.

I struggle in the water.

It's my kryptonite, my weakness.

Those demons are there.

They come back, and your head tells you, "You have to fight, you have to move.

"Don't stop. Keep going."

Quitting isn't an option for me.

It is simply not an option.

It's just not going to happen.

Quitting is not in my vocabulary right now.

Draw your weapons!

Ready!

To the targets.

Too high.

What happened?

I shot too high on all of them.

Yeah, but... I mean...

When we are screwed is when we have to give our best.

That's when...

Imagine a runner. Who's a runner here? Someone who likes mountains.

A runner who likes mountains.

When we take Julián to the mountain, he has a great time.

On that day, I don't worry about him, I know he'll work well.

But when does Julián have to show

that he's really something special?

When I put him in the water.

When I do that, Julián says, "Wow, that's the day

"I'm going to show what I'm made of."

The difference and what makes us special

is when I come in on a bad day.

When I wake up in pain and I don't feel like training,

when I have to do what I don't enjoy.

That's the day everybody else stays at home and we go out training.

That's what makes the difference.

Today you're fucked? Then today is the day you'll enjoy the most.

I'll have a fucking blast.

I'm going to do my best, have a good time and enjoy the day.

That's the mentality.

So we forget about the rest and enjoy the shooting.

-Do you like shooting? Shit, so enjoy it. -Yes.

Make a difference, focus on what you're doing.

Rise above your issues.

That's what we want to see.

When you're screwed is when you have to grit your teeth.

The director of the course tells us that every day.

We have to grit our teeth, there's no other way.

Okay. Holster. Good.

And those words, those moments...

They make you 5%

calmer, but it's something. It starts to add up.

"I'm in the course again, on stage 30.

"Let's fight for another day."

Soon, an undetermined number of applicants will be leaving.

I think I've had a headache for a month trying not to make a mistake.

Me and all of my staff.

They're also colleagues, they are police officers.

It's not like they are discharged and that's it.

They have a family, friends.

It's like a wave that splashes over their whole life forever,

and it all depends on what we decide when the time comes.

Any discharges that may occur hurt us more than they hurt you.

Those who leave and do not continue in this process,

probably, it will hurt them.

And I guarantee that if you are saddened by it,

the instructors, the G.E.O. commanders, Pelayo and me

are even more saddened.

But this is for your own good and for the good of the Police.

Ribero.

-At your command. -Come in.

-Permission. -Good morning, Julián.

-Good morning. -Close the door.

How are we doing?

Well...

After this, I guess...

Well, screwed. Really screwed.

Sad. But, well...

I need you to get your act together right now.

-This is the last time I call you. Okay? -Okay.

At your command.

-I won't tell you again. -Okay.

I think I have something. Maybe not a guardian angel,

but I have lot of people up there.

My grandparents... I trust them to be up there

lending me a hand and giving me encouragement when I falter.

I feel ready.

I feel ready and very confident. I wouldn't be here if I didn't.

DAY 84

Out of the 100 applicants who started the G.E.O. course, only 18 remain.

Your gun is not on safety.

It's happened to you before.

After firing, you didn't remove the magazine.

You didn't leave the slide open or put the safety on.

This is how accidents happen. Fatalities stem from that.

Cease fire.

You're dead, the three of you.

You fail because you don't engage in the seriousness of the matter at hand.

Really. You are not taking it seriously.

You're not aware of the seriousness of the situation.

This can't go on like this. There comes a time when...

I try to lead the way, I try to get something out of them,

but they have to help me.

What has to happen for us to realize

the importance of putting a magazine in tightly and mounting the gun tightly?

Do we all need to get killed?

I don't want to get killed because some jerk

didn't put the magazine in properly.

There is no place in the course

for these sorts of mistakes repeated over time.

People like that, they don't belong here.

I don't want anyone who isn't aware

that what we have in front of us

is real danger. It's a real target.

You don't talk to each other, you're not really a team.

You don't understand each other as a team.

If my partner is not clear about what he has to do,

he jeopardizes us all. He puts us all in danger.

Within six months, they may be in operational groups.

A mistake could cost them their lives, their partner's life or a hostage.

-Why did you shoot? -I was too late.

If there's no one there, why shoot? If a bad guy comes out of a room,

shoots and goes back in, do you shoot down the hall?

-No, Instructor. -So, why did you shoot?

We're not getting into the role!

You're not taking it seriously.

Let's get in the mindset that when we fire, it's very serious.

We can take a person's life, and you're treating it like a joke.

Do you think that shooting someone is psychologically pleasant?

Maza, don't let him push you like that.

Put your weight forward, hold on with the other hand, that's it.

There's no rush to look in the breech.

The problem is there, not here.

That's what's dangerous. Okay?

We never seek eye contact with our partner, we either talk or touch.

Stand your ground, damn it, stand your ground.

You're treating this like a game,

like those little ducks at a fair

that come out and you shoot them.

And five little ducks win you a stuffed animal.

The reality is when a person comes out and opens fire on you,

you are one click away from dying.

Don't turn the shield around! The shield faces forward!

I don't want anyone who isn't aware

that what we have in front of us is real danger. It's a real target.

You seem to be treating this as a game.

-Get down! -All mine.

I don't just stand like this, working in this sector.

Do you know why? Because it's useless.

If I hear a click

or see that I don't have a shot,

I immediately take cover.

Because here in front of me I can't do anything but expose myself.

But this is common sense.

This isn't a G.E.O. lesson.

It can't happen. You'll get shot.

You can't make that kind of mistake.

You put everything at risk. Everything.

You put yourself, the operation and your colleagues at risk.

What are we playing at, in week 11?

Whoever doesn't make it here goes home.

And if I pass zero of you, I don't care.

I'm not going to pass the buck to my colleagues

by telling them, "This is the best I've got."

We won't be giving the beret to the second-best.

It's either yes or no.