Mataharis

Mataharis

Year: 2007

Runtime: 100 mins

Language: Spanish

Director: Icíar Bollaín

ComedyDrama

Private detectives Inés, Eva and Carmen routinely breach others’ privacy, yet remain unaware of their own hidden truths. As they pursue their surveillance assignments, the three must navigate the fragile boundary between public scrutiny and private life, forcing them to confront personal dilemmas while tackling cases that demand more than professional skill, ultimately revealing the costs of their own secrecy.

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Timeline & Setting – Mataharis (2007)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Mataharis (2007). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Madrid, Zaragoza

Primarily set in Madrid, Mataharis follows a private-detective agency navigating the city’s urban landscape and the fringes of factory life. The narrative travels to Zaragoza for Eva’s assignment, illustrating how cases pull the detectives through different Spanish cities. The setting highlights contemporary urban Spain, where gender dynamics, work, and loyalty intersect in a fast-paced private-eye world.

🏙️ Urban Spain 🏭 Factory settings 🗺️ Madrid Zaragoza

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 14:41

Main Characters – Mataharis (2007)

Meet the key characters of Mataharis (2007), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Inés — María Vázquez

The youngest, most ambitious detective at the agency. She goes undercover in a factory to spy on union leaders, hoping to move up. Her empathy for Manuel creates a personal conflict that jeopardizes her career and threatens her sense of professional duty.

🎯 Ambitious 🕵️ Detective 💔 Conflicted

Eva — Najwa Nimri

A newer mother who has just returned to work, Eva struggles to juggle motherhood with her cases. She suspects her husband Iñaki is leading a double life, and her investigation widens to uncover secrets that could shake their family.

👩 Working mother 🕵️ Detective 💔 Fractured relationship

Carmen — Nuria González

The oldest, most experienced detective, Carmen handles routine cases with practicality and empathy. She sympathizes with Sergio’s marital collapse while often missing warning signs in her own marriage.

🧭 Experienced 🕵️ Detective 💔 Complicated marriage

Sergio — Antonio de la Torre

A photographer whose wife is having an affair with his business partner. He becomes a focal point of one investigation and a mirror for the others’ personal turmoil, reflecting how art and relationships collide under pressure.

📷 Photographer 💼 Business partner 💔 Strained relationships

Valbuena — Fernando Cayo

The male chauvinist boss who runs the agency. His attitude and power dynamics shape the environment in which the three women operate, creating tension and limit-setting obstacles.

👔 Boss 🏛️ Authority 💪 Chauvinist

Iñaki — Tristán Ulloa

Eva’s husband, a man with a secret life that fuels Eva’s investigation. His actions ripple through the family and complicate Eva’s efforts at balancing work and home.

🤵 Husband 🕵️ Secrets 💔 Unreliable trust

Manuel — Diego Martín

A key union member who becomes the focal point of Inés’ undercover case and, at the same time, the source of her ethical conflict as she grows attached to him.

💼 Union member 💘 Object of Inés' feelings 💔 Heartbreak risk

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 14:41

Major Themes – Mataharis (2007)

Explore the central themes of Mataharis (2007), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

♀️ Gender Dynamics

Three women run a private-detective agency in a male-dominated field, challenging expectations and hierarchy. Each woman faces professional pressure from a chauvinist boss while pursuing cases that test personal boundaries. The dynamic pushes them to prove their competence while navigating friendship, rivalry, and ambition.

⚖️ Moral Dilemma

Undercover work forces Inés to choose between career advancement and empathy for those she investigates. The emotional toll of knowing private lives can fracture families underlines the ethical costs of surveillance. The film questions where loyalty belongs: to the client, to colleagues, or to personal ethics.

💔 Love vs Duty

Romantic feelings collide with professional duties as Inés falls for Manuel while spying on him, challenging her integrity and career prospects. Eva uncovers a web of secrecy in her own marriage, testing trust and devotion. The relationships across cases reveal how love can complicate, even derail, the pursuit of truth.

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 14:41

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Detective Dramas with Personal Reflection like Mataharis

Characters who probe others' lives are forced to confront their own hidden truths.Explore movies like Mataharis where the act of investigation turns inward. This collection features thoughtful dramas and character studies about professionals in truth-seeking roles—private eyes, reporters, researchers—who find their work forcing a reckoning with their own secrets and moral dilemmas.

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Narrative Summary

Stories in this thread typically follow a parallel structure: an external case or assignment progresses while simultaneously unveiling the protagonist's internal conflicts. The professional and personal narratives intertwine, often leading to a point of crisis where the character must grapple with the ethical cost of their work and the truths they've been avoiding about themselves.

Why These Movies?

These movies are grouped by their shared focus on the psychological duality of investigation. They share a melancholic, reflective mood, a steady pacing that allows for character depth, and a central theme exploring the blurry line between observer and participant, truth and self-deception.

Bittersweet Character Studies like Mataharis

Stories where ordinary characters navigate the complex, mixed emotions of self-discovery.Discover movies like Mataharis that explore the bittersweet nature of everyday truths. This collection features character-driven dramas with a steady pace and medium emotional weight, focusing on female friendships, work-life balance, and the ambiguous revelations that come with self-examination.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative journey in these films is typically internal and cumulative rather than driven by high-stakes plot. Character arcs are built through a series of small, revealing incidents and conversations. The endings are often ambiguous or bittersweet, reflecting the nuanced and ongoing nature of real-life personal growth and relationships.

Why These Movies?

These films share a specific emotional mix: a thoughtful, melancholic mood combined with a bittersweet tone and a steady, observational pace. They prioritize character depth over complex plotting and explore themes of female camaraderie, personal secrets, and the moral complexities of ordinary existence.

Unlock the Full Story of Mataharis

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Mataharis Summary

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Mataharis Summary

Mataharis Timeline

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Mataharis Timeline

More About Mataharis

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