Original subtitles

I tore the tendon on December 6.

I thought I was leaving, and on December 9,

they gave me the news that all is not lost yet.

They said, "Let's hold on, see how the situation evolves," and...

For the time being I'm not leaving.

In my case, fortunately, I tore it at the end of the course...

It depends on how you look at things, it can be good luck, bad luck.

I've had all the luck in the world. Because I am here.

SPAIN'S ELITE POLICE: BEYOND LIMITS

EPISODE 8 BROTHERS

G.E.O. BASE GUADALAJARA

Straight, stand up straight.

Look, the G.E.O. is organization, we've said it many times.

The G.E.O. is organization,

it's tactics, it's cohesion, it's discipline,

discipline in everything we do.

A G.E.O. operative has to be constantly prepared.

Your mentality has to remain like this permanently,

and we demand it.

We demand it and I demand it.

You need to have that strength, that spirit of sacrifice, that energy,

that power, that desire, that enthusiasm, that motivation, that cohesion.

If you don't, it's no good.

Do you all have it? Because you're still in time...

Does anyone want to take a step back? Obviously not, right?

In that case, all 12 of you have passed the course.

It is a tremendous joy for us to give you this news.

Apart from congratulating you,

congratulating you for your effort, which has been immense,

your achievement cannot be denied neither to you

nor to those who left.

You've all done a great effort.

You and those did not finish and aren't here today.

I want us to think today about those who aren't here,

those who are now back to working in different police units

and who are as good police officers as you are.

The most important thing about a G.E.O.

is the pride of belonging to the National Police.

And, added to this insignia,

CHIEF COMMISSIONER G.E.O. / G.O.E.S. CHIEF

is the pride of belonging to G.E.O.

Without this one,

this one cannot exist.

Thanks for everything.

-Congratulations. -Thank you.

Congratulations.

When I look into their eyes,

I know we have not made a mistake.

We are very proud that they have joined this unit.

Congratulations.

Thank you, sir.

First of all, they should know that this way of life, this sacrifice,

knowing that you can be in a cafeteria

or at home with your family and you have to leave in 30 seconds,

all of that is permanent, it's not just 30 seconds

and then you return home the next day.

No, you might be leaving your home for two months.

This is the entire operational life of a G.E.O.

Being here means that...

you always have to be in shape.

You must always be updating yourself technically.

There is no end.

INSPECTOR PELAYO G.E.O. COURSE DIRECTOR

It means that the phone is always on.

It means that your family belongs to the G.E.O. in many ways,

or at least will suffer from it.

The most important thing I have in my life is my family.

My wife and my children.

It's what makes me get up every day and keep going, fighting.

They're like my heart, the engine that runs my life.

I already had a wife and two daughters when I applied for the course.

So her support was essential.

It was hard for all of us, because she was at home by herself,

working, taking care of the girls.

The beret belongs, in part, to her.

Daddy, come to the pool and I'll show you...

-How I swim. -How you dive?

-I dive. -That's great!

-What's Alejandro doing? -Are you working?

Yes, I'm working, honey.

Be good, sweetheart, okay? Take good care of Alejandro and Mommy.

-They're behaving. -All right, honey.

-She's a good girl. -I love you very much.

Okay, baby. Bye, my love.

These last few days...

I don't know if she noticed, it's been a bit heavy for her,

because she said things to me that she's never said before.

Like, when am I going to finish work and be able to go home.

That she wants me to take her to school and pick her up.

My daughter, obviously,

doesn't know anything about what I do.

Everyone pick up a tire.

It was the first time that she told me that she misses me,

and she asks about when I'll finish working.

She says I'm not going to work anymore. She said, "When you come home,

you're not going to go to work anymore.

And if you do, I'll go with you."

Left foot!

Sometimes, you have to have a hard shell.

A shell to...

SENIOR OFFICER PERTEGAZ G.E.O. COURSE INSTRUCTOR

To try not to express certain feelings.

I think that...

you have to keep that to yourself most of the time.

No doubt. And give up...

the most human part of each of us.

-Number ten. -Yes.

I would hurry.

I was a number.

I was number eight.

Through that depersonalization process,

they tried to strip you of who you are,

to take away your skills, your strengths.

Numbers, everybody's the same...

And you're left totally blank.

Number eight.

My first name was number 13.

And my last name was number 13.

Dehumanizing myself helped me to have that strength

to not give myself the chance to consider quitting.

I'll get moving, I'll study for a while or I'll do some shooting

or climbing or something, I don't know.

Anyway, sweetheart, I'll write to you again later, okay?

I'll get something done around here too.

Okay, I'll talk to you later, beautiful.

Okay, a big kiss.

Bye.

We try to live...

as discreetly as possible.

We try to maintain a quiet life,

a life that is a bit dull, so to speak.

Not to attract too much attention.

It's important not to attract too much attention.

I, for example, never say where I'm going.

OFFICER LEJIDO G.E.O. COURSE INSTRUCTOR

Everyone has their own...

There are colleagues who do tell their wives or partners...

"Hey, I'm going to this place".

They don't talk about the operation itself, of course.

But I don't even say where I'm going.

When I finish the operation,

I call her or write a WhatsApp: "Hey, everything's fine."

And that's it.

And that works for me.

That way, she's more relaxed, she knows how it goes...

And she already knows what my job is, of course.

As far as the eye can see, and I can't see Madrid.

That is the area where whoever completes the course

is going to have as a boundary area to live in.

It is what it is.

It is one of the demands we have in the unit.

Where do you live?

-Where? -Montecarmelo.

-Where is that? -It is an area...

-In the tower blocks. -Yes, in Madrid.

-Then move house. -Of course.

-That's clear, right? -Crystal clear.

While talking to my wife about this...

What I tell her is that, until I have the beret in my hand,

I am not going to start looking. Because...

Because I feel... I don't know.

I don't like to do something if it's still not...

When I get the beret I'll start looking for another area to live in.

With all that it entails. Moving my family, moving the children,

changing schools...

And sometimes that can be a little intimidating.

Because you leave your comfort zone completely,

to start again to...

-Come in. Diego who's going. -Yes.

Yes. 41.

Two 41 boots, please.

-Of the following. -Come, sign here.

-Do the boots fit? -Yes.

The T-shirt was in S.

-Is the S fine? -Yeah.

Come on, Gareta, hurry the fuck up!

-Gareta, Christmas came early, huh? -Definitely.

It's the cycle of life, obviously.

They come to replace those of us who will leave

for totally biological reasons.

Some of us are finishing a cycle,

one way or another. This is what life is.

And they are beginning. That's life.

He's put on a few pounds.

You're overdoing it with the donuts, Hernandez.

-We have to get him on a bike. -He'll have to show us what he can do.

We'll get back there and absorb, absorb the power.

-If it's downhill... -That would generate a lot of power.

Along with the births of my children,

this has been the greatest thing, when I received it...

I was bursting with pride.

It's small, isn't it?

It's just that your eyebrow is taking the shape of...

I thought about my whole family,

my wife, my children...

My sister, my brother, my father-in-law, my parents...

who would have been so proud to see it.

SENIOR OFFICER TIZÓN G.E.O. OPERATIVE

To see how far I've come.

My parents are both deaf,

but they're not mute as they usually say.

My parents were born deaf,

and the thing is that...

they don't speak because they can't copy, right?

We learn everything by repetition,

so that's why they don't speak.

Dad, Mom,

thank you so much for helping me

since I was little, until now,

for everything you have given me.

I love you very much. A kiss.

Those of us who have children,

when they're small,

when they cry at night because they're hungry or...

Obviously my mother can't...

You'll say, "How does she know?" I don't know if they have a sixth sense.

When I leave my daughter with her, if she cries, my mother wakes up.

Keep the boat high.

All of us who are around them

end up developing a sixth sense and they make us all greater.

It's helped me mature a little bit earlier.

It's helped me develop my abilities or my skills earlier.

I couldn't be more grateful to life, honestly.

All this effort. All these hours, blood, sweat, tears... Holy shit.

OFFICER ACHA G.E.O. OPERATIVE

To get here.

-Want to try the berets on? -Yes.

-I'd say they've earned it. Right? -I think so.

-It has to face this way. -Kind of like this.

The beret is a symbol

that you have made it into this unit.

And then you comb it. When you wet it and tame it, it takes its shape.

And you see tattered berets out there working

and the operative doesn't want to change it

because to him it's very important.

-So you want a... -A 58.

-That's going to be huge. -I know.

You've got a head like a mouse.

Ready, isn't it?

Edu!

-And then you start... -Yeah, that's better.

It widens, right?

You get excited to see them and say: "Look."

At the start of the course, there is no personal relationship.

They're colleagues, police officers, sure.

But you've seen them grow,

and now, somehow...

Of course they are, damn it. Now they really are my colleagues.

-It's okay. Not bad. -It's not a bad fit.

Check it out. But when it gets wet, it'll...

-I don't know if... -It doesn't have to be too tight,

you place it like this on the forehead.

Two days ago I was with my fucking foot... Sorry.

You put it on.

Put it on, you've earned it.

Am I right?

It's hard, very hard.

Very hard to express in words what it means

to spend...

30 seconds putting on a simple beret and what it represents.

OFFICER ALCÁNTARA G.E.O. OPERATIVE

It's very hard, very hard.

-Thank you. -Okay?

-Thank you very much. -Thank you.

And the patch.

Wait, you're not dressed yet.

I think a lot about my grandmother.

Unfortunately, she's not here.

I think she is partly to blame

for the way this has turned out.

Because of the strength, because of the legacy she left me,

because I thought a lot about her...

when I was really screwed

and I was then able to move forward.

For each of you,

there's a hamburger, fries, a drink and some nuggets.

Everyone dig in.

-Junk food. -Yummy. Junk food.

I've got a knee like an elephant. Look.

But that's not from injury, that's from being overweight.

This is from being fat, and this one from injury.

Acha, did you get everything down?

-I still have to pack. -I have one more trip left.

-You still have stuff? -Yeah, loads.

Guys, our last supper.

No, the last one will be

in the course base, man. It doesn't count as the last one.

Do you remember the day when we were in Trillo...

In Trillo or in Ávila. And we said...

"If it's like this...

If the days are like this..."

I said, "There are still seven times left."

-Seven times there and back. -Remember?

"We've got still seven more times of this."

A whole year's course.

For me, the hardest part was Ávila and this last cycle.

Do you remember when the director said,

"Now there's only the last part left, the most beautiful part.

We save the best for last."

-And then, at one point he said... -The worst.

"You still have one hell of a lot left." Remember?

It is an icy hell that we have gone through.

What I've been thinking is, when we go home tomorrow,

we will have spent a year away.

It feels like time stays still here.

-You go back and a year has passed... -A year disconnected from life.

Your family has progressed a year, and we...

We've done a lot of things, but...

When I left, my baby was in the hospital,

and when I get back, he'll be walking.

-It's crazy. -That's what I mean.

In your head, he's still in the hospital or very tiny.

-In your memory. -Yeah.

And when you get back, you'll say, "He's already walking!"

It's a bit of a bittersweet feeling.

It's huge.

It really is.

Now it's over and maybe we've gotten a little used

to being with our classmates and instructors.

Despite the fact that there are unpleasant moments.

But I'm also really looking forward

to getting home

and getting back to my life.

Which has been a bit at a standstill during this time.

We've learned a lot and this is, without a doubt,

a unique life experience.

Not many people know that I'm here.

I didn't think it was appropriate.

My parents, my brother and some friends know,

but people don't know I'm here.

If I'm working within the unit,

it is with discretion, with a very low profile.

I will share the joy with them when the time comes.

We live very isolated lives.

We are a very tight group.

You go for a meal,

and all we talk about is the same thing. We're very boring.

But the thing is there aren't many people you can talk to about your life.

Know what I have here?

Operation Haran.

Oh, yeah? You got it there?

To boost morale.

I'll play them this video when they finish training.

Of a group of... I don't know if you saw it.

An example of a raid in a stairwell.

Preparation of jihadists, preparing a raid.

We lead a kind of double life.

It's always best to try not to open up too much

to new friendships without knowing for sure or having a good idea

of where they can take you.

When you are in Afghanistan for three months or in a foreign embassy,

at the end of the day, it is almost a brother-to-brother relationship,

or like he's your family.

Because you spend a lot of time with him,

you know his virtues, his flaws,

his family situation at all times, and that's what we are there for,

to tuck each other in when we need it and give each other that little push

to do our job and come home safe and sound,

which is the goal in the end.

To perfect the flight.

If I have a problem, a good day, a bad day, who do I tell? My partner.

Parachutist!

My life comes down to this, and that brings a lot of bonding.

When you have a bad time with the rest of the people,

that builds ties of union, doesn't it?

You've put almost the whole team up there. How it hasn't bent up is a miracle.

Where does it say on paper that you can't?

Where does it say?

Not like that. That's not the way to win with elegance.

Besides, we've been waiting because since the boss always has to win...

We've been waiting.

If I'm in Kabul, that's my life.

When I come back from an embassy, I have to adjust to home.

Okay, gentlemen. This has never happened.

20-45.

Then you come home and you change, and you miss

the getting up, the service, the checking everything...

Checking on your people...

You can put the others in, all six are already there.

Now I have to sleep without my gear,

without my weapons, my car, my people, and so on.

When I come home, I don't go back to my life.

No, my life was there.

When I come back, I have to adapt to being here.

And that happens to all of us, of course.

Tizón, continue to the end. Just like that.

Mark the one to your right and move.

There, don't let your feet go over the line.

One at a time, don't try all at once, let's not be...

little kids anymore.

Okay, stay there.

They've started to walk.

Now they just have to let go of our hands

and begin their own path here within the G.E.O.

They are aware that they are going to enter a very competitive world,

a world in which we are all one family, but we are all alphas,

we always want to be the first ones

and we always want to be the first to go in and be on the front line,

and they know that they are going to have that environment from day one.

So now they are experiencing a lot of joy after achieving this feat,

but they're also aware that what's coming up

is hard. Exciting, but hard.

Now you have brought him back to life

Now you have brought him to the light

Fall in. Now!

The day the course ends is when they really begin.

They begin to be formed, to learn the doctrine,

to learn the philosophy of this unit,

which is a way of life.

The General Director of the Police,

Mr. Francisco Pardo Piqueras, presides over the ceremony.

He is accompanied by the Deputy Operative Director of the National Police,

Mr. José Ángel González Jiménez,

and the Commissioner, Head of the G.E.O.,

Mr. Javier Daniel Nogueroles Alonso de la Sierra.

The Director General of the Police,

Mr. Francisco Pardo Piqueras, takes the floor.

Today we are here to close

the 30th G.E.O. specialization access course.

There are very few of you who have made it this far.

Only 12 of you have finished.

Your commitment and courage deserve all the praise I can give you.

Likewise, I would like to praise your colleagues,

who tried their best,

put in all their efforts and, nevertheless, did not reach the goal.

In any case,

they continue to be first-rate police officers

wherever they are stationed.

You have dreamed,

and now your dream is a reality.

You have persevered.

You represent values and principles

that have made the National Police one of the institutions most loved

and respected by Spaniards.

Perseverance, effort, comradeship and sacrifice

are in your DNA.

The interventions of the G.E.O.

are the guarantee that in critical moments

everything will go well.

Because you are, we are, a team.

Always remember

that if one piece of the machinery fails,

it will be difficult for the machine to function properly.

You are worth as much as each of your teammates is worth.

Everyone forges their future with their behavior,

and yours has been, is and will be exemplary

in making Spain a safer country.

-Long live Spain! -Hurrah!

-Long live the king! -Hurrah!

-Long live the National Police! -Hurrah!

Thank you very much. Congratulations.

Class, attention, now!

In the end you see...

that the dream you've always wanted is going to come true.

-At your orders. -Francisco, congratulations.

You look back and see all that has happened,

everything we've gone through,

everything your family's gone through... How can you not get emotional?

We're all human, after all.

From the outside, my friends, family and other people go,

"Congratulations, you have achieved a dream."

But it's out of this world when your brother, who is a colleague,

who has colleagues from his class here, and you say: "Fuck!"

"Suddenly, my little brother has become one of these guys."

Even today... I'm wearing the beret and I still can't believe it.

It's unbelievable.

This year has been an unforgettable life journey

and something that changes you from within.

This life experience has gone straight to the foundations.

Class, at ease, now!

-Class! -30!

The victory cry was just at the moment when...

the head of the unit ordered to break ranks.

With all my comrades.

We then reminisced the yell

that we have let out every day of this course.

We shout our class number.

Thirty. That's the final yell.

The beret is the driver's license we give you.

You are authorized to start playing with the grown-ups,

but you still have a world of learning to do.

The beret is simply a starting point, nothing more.

Now they're the new guys.

They're not kids anymore.

This goes on, you know? This is only the beginning.

-This never happened. -It's not the end.

As soon as we clean this up, it has never happened.

-It turned out great, man. -Congratulations.

Shit, man, you're huge.

Oh, Gareta...

Welcome home.

-Record sound. -Recording.

-Does that work, Hernán? -That's fine.

So, now that the course is over, what are you thinking about?

What am I thinking about? I'm thinking about tonight.

-What's happening tonight? -There's an operation.

We have an operation, we have to arrest certain individuals.

Creative Supervisor Santi Aguirre