HBO Max Psycho Thriller ‘Infamy,’ With ‘She Walks in Darkness’ Star Susana Abaitua, Set for South Festival Premiere

HBO Max is launching its new series “Infamy” (“Infamia”) at the South International Series Festival in Cádiz. Based on the book by Ledicia Costas, the six-episode psychological thriller is a first TV window acquisition for the streamer in Spain and is produced by Evafilms.

Starring Goya nominee Susana Abaitua (“She Walks in Darkness,” “Patria”), the dark atmospheric thriller follows Emma Cruz, a tenacious lawyer who takes on an unsolved case of two girls who went missing in her hometown 20 years ago. Haunted by the tragic death of her sister when they were kids, for which she blames herself, she becomes obsessed with solving the case as a way to heal from her trauma.

The people responsible for the girls’ disappearance will stop at nothing to keep the past buried and the truth from coming out.

“Infamy” was shot in various locations around Bizkaia in the Basque Country in order to bring to life the enigmatic and secretive town of Ura. The series is directed by Agustina Macri (“Soledad,” “Queen of Coal”) and Beatriz Sanchís (“They Are All Dead,” “The Gigantes”) and written by Manuel Gancedo and Eduardo Torallas. The cast includes Jorge Bosch, Jon Olivares, Ane Gabarain, Iñigo Gastesi, Iñigo Azpitarte, Eva Llorach, Asier Oruesagasti, Goya nominee Kandido Uranga and a special appearance by Chilean actor Luis Gnecco (“Neruda,” “No”).

“Infamy” will premiere on HBO Max on Nov. 13.

Variety interviewed Agustina Macri about the series ahead of its premiere.

The series is based on Ledicia Costas’ book. What attracted you to the story?

Agustina Macri: Its powerful universe and the potential it had to become a compelling cinematic story. It had a very particular atmosphere, complex characters, and a dark, unsettling world that immediately caught my attention.

However, translating that universe into a series was a demanding process. The plot and the way the story was told required a great deal of work. The challenge was to transform the material into a psychological thriller that was not only rich in character and atmosphere, but also engaging, with a narrative that would keep the audience hooked while gradually revealing its layers.

For me, it was essential to find the right balance between psychological depth and narrative tension. I didn’t want the series to rely solely on its mystery; I wanted the suspense to emerge from the characters themselves, their secrets, and the emotional wounds that shape their actions. The goal was to create a story that keeps you wanting to know what happens next, while also drawing you into Emma’s inner world.

You seem to be interested in strong female characters, like the ones in your previous films ‘Soledad’ and ‘Queen of Coal.’

Macri: I’m drawn to women who don’t fit neatly into the roles that society, history, or even their own families have assigned to them. In “Soledad” and “Miss Carbón,” I explored women who challenged the world around them in very visible ways. They confronted social structures, prejudices, and systems that tried to determine who they could be. Their journeys were about claiming a place in a world that had decided they didn’t belong.

With Emma, the conflict becomes more internal. I’m interested in the tension between the person we present to the world and the person we are when nobody is looking. Emma is intelligent, independent, and professionally capable, but beneath that exterior lies a profound vulnerability. She is carrying a wound that has never healed, and her obsession with the disappearance of two girls becomes inseparable from her own unresolved past.

You co-directed the series with Beatriz Sanchís. Tell me about this collaboration.

Macri: I developed the project from the beginning, establishing the visual and narrative identity I felt the story needed. I had a clear vision of its atmosphere, its psychological tension, and the way the camera would guide the audience through Emma’s subjective experience.

I directed the first two episodes, which establish the world of “Infamia,” introduce the characters, and lay the foundations of the different storylines. This initial stage naturally has its own rhythm, as it requires time to build the atmosphere, establish relationships, and introduce the central mysteries. From Episode 3 onwards, as Beatriz takes over directing, the narrative begins to unfold in a different way: the story gains momentum, the investigation advances, and the tensions established in the opening episodes start to develop and intensify. These are different stages in the narrative journey, each with its own dramatic demands. Our shared intention was to ensure that, throughout this evolution, the series maintained a consistent visual language, atmosphere, and tone, while allowing the rhythm to evolve organically with the story.

Did you have Susana Abaitua in mind to play the lead role from the beginning?

Macri: Susana Abaitua was central to bringing Emma to life. The character carries so much internally that we needed an actress capable of communicating through silences, gestures, and contradictions, without having to explain everything through dialogue.

I honestly don’t think “Infamia” could have been made in the same way without Susana. Her commitment to the character was extraordinary. She really embraced Emma and approached her from the inside out, trying to understand the pain she carries, the wounds she keeps hidden, and the contradictions she struggles with. She never judged the character; instead, she made the effort to understand what lies beneath her actions, even when Emma herself cannot fully understand it. That level of empathy, dedication and emotional commitment, combined with Susana’s incredible talent as an actress, was essential to bringing Emma to life. She gave the character a depth and humanity that I think are fundamental to the series.

What were some of the challenges in filming the series?

Macri: One of the biggest challenges of filming “Infamia” was the physical and climatic conditions we had to work in. It wasn’t an easy shoot, and the environment constantly challenged us. But, in a way, those difficulties became part of what made the series so powerful and unique. The landscape and the climate were not simply obstacles to overcome; they brought something essential to the story, giving it a particular atmosphere, a sense of isolation, and an intensity that would have been difficult to recreate artificially.