Over the last 30 years, Spain has stood out in Europe for its smart genre output: Think “The Orphanage,” “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “Open Your Eyes” among early examples.

From its reception this weekend, Spanish critics may soon be adding another title to Spain’s illustrious auteur genre canon: “Subsuelo,” the fourth feature as a director of Fernando Franco, a San Sebastián Special Jury Prize winner for 2013’s “Wounded” and the editor of the Oscar-nominated “Robot Dreams.” Elle Driver handles world sales.

A new clip hints at the movie’s style, one reason why the film has met with an upbeat reaction from Spanish reviewers, newspaper El Mundo hailing ‘Subsuelo’ as a “deep and highly disturbing thriller.”

Franco has carved out a reputation for addressing challenging themes: borderline persona

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