Dearest Executioners

This documentary, filmed clandestinely, is based on several interviews with the executioners who worked in Spain during the early 1970s, as well as families of people executed by them.

Directed by Basilio Martín Patino, Dearest Executioners leans on a strong ensemble — Claudio Rodríguez, Vicente Copete, Antonio López — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 1977.