Abhiroop Das
Helmed by Roger Gual, ‘The Truthers,’ also known as ‘Los Creyentes’ in the original Spanish, begins with Ruth returning to her hometown after many years upon hearing of her mother’s death. Though it is officially ruled as an accident, Ruth has a hard time believing that with the facts that are presented. To make things more suspicious, she uncovers her mother’s voice notes from not-so-long-ago, where she worringly notes that her husband, and Ruth’s father, has spiraled down a world of myths and conspiracies.
Martin, a Spanish Civil Guard veteran, fervently believes that the new pharmaceutical company in town is involved in a kidnapping controversy, but all attempts he makes to prove this point to Ruth only increase the gaps and fissures in their relationship. Before long, this becomes a story of two people trying to prove that the other has a deeply distorted view of life, and somewhere along the lines, the truth itself gets lost in the details. Through all of this, the Spanish psychological thriller movie comments on how narratives can often dictate a familial structure.
The Truthers is a Fictional Tale About Conspiracy Theories and Their Effects on People
Despite its intensely realistic premise, ‘The Truthers’ is ultimately a work of fiction with no direct ties to any real-life event. At its heart, it is a fresh spin on how conspiracy theories emerge and take root in the popular subconscious, with main characters Ruth and Martin serving as vehicles for that journey. That said, the movie doesn’t draw any direct inspiration from a real-life conspiracy theory or urban myth. The premise of a major pharmaceutical company supposedly kidnapping and abusing children originates entirely from the minds of writers Carlos Montero and Darío Madrona, who are best known for their collaboration on the Spanish TV series, ‘Elite.’
In real-life, there have been a few conspiracy theories that evolved past being a niche, unproven belief and nestled themselves into the broader thought space over the years. While flat-Earth theories are perhaps the most well-known conspiracy and hoax narratives, there have also been erroneous theories about airplane chemtrails affecting weather patterns, fifth-generation mobile networks causing or worsening health crises, and so on. The conspiracies that have the most parallels with the film, however, are a set of myths about vaccines, particularly related to COVID-19.
The 2020s were marked by various measures to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, including prolonged lockdown periods and regular vaccinations. Around the same time, a sharp increase in unproven and conspiratorial beliefs began to emerge around healthcare as a whole. The WHO concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by an unprecedented surge in misinformation, in what has been dubbed an “Infodemic.” It is likely that ‘The Truthers’ draws from conspiratorial anxieties that emerged during that era and places it within a family setting to examine its effects on human relationships.
Some Real-Life Conspiracies Loosely Resemble What is Seen in The Truthers
Another baseless myth that might have served as a reference point for the writing team of ‘The Truthers’ is the adrenochrome conspiracy. It falsely claims that powerful elites, often described as politicians, celebrities, and business leaders, abduct children to harvest adrenochrome, a real chemical compound formed through the oxidation of adrenaline. The rumor further purports that adrenochrome can grant features like youth and euphoria, with historians noting that this belief is rooted in antisemitic attitudes. While the movie doesn’t use this conspiracy as a direct basis for its own premise, it is likely that Carlos Montero and Darío Madrona conducted deep research into the subject and its past to develop a narrative as realistic as possible.
When conceiving a story surrounding conspiracy theories, the believability of the unproven narrative itself is not as important as the effect it has on people. In the movie, Martin and Ruth have two very different reactions to the rumors about missing children, and that becomes the heart of the film. The creative team consciously uses conspiracies as a backdrop for the story, channeling several trends from contemporary pop and niche culture alike. As such, the invented details of this film exist to serve its emotional core, that being the fragile relationship of a father and daughter duo.
Read More: The Truthers Ending Explained: How Did Ruth’s Mother Really Die?
