Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Violence, language in tense Spanish missing-child thriller.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Firebreak
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In FIREBREAK, Mara (Belén Cuesta) and her family—including daughter Lide (Candela Martínez), brother-in-law Luis (Joaquín Furriel) and Luis's wife Elena (Diana Gomez) and son (Mika Arias)— have arrived to clean out their house in the forest following the death of Mara's husband. Mara wants to sell the house as quickly as she can. Soon after arriving, news of a nearby wildfire hits. The family packs up the car and readies their departure when suddenly they realize Lide is nowhere to be found. Neighbor Santi (Enric Auquer) was the last person to see her. Tensions escalate and suspicions rise as the wildfire encroaches and time is running out to find the missing girl.
Is It Any Good?
With a new twist coming seemingly every 10 to 15 minutes, this film ratchets up the tension. The dual threats of an encroaching fire and a missing child lend plenty of suspense to Firebreak. Having said that, the action does lull slightly in the second half, and editing the film down to 90 minutes might have kept things even tighter.
Seemingly plucked from headlines of wildfires in Spain, the woodsy location adds to the disorientation and angst of the characters; it's also used to sprinkle in natural symbolism in a way that is touching but unfortunately doesn't give us much more information about the characters. Meanwhile, the camera moves nervously around the actors, focusing in on their eyes as they (and we) question who to trust.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the use of the wildfire to add tension in Firebreak. How does the encroaching fire make the events of the film even more pressurized? Did the fire seem real the way it was filmed?
The movie is shot in Spanish and set in Spain. Were there elements that felt Spain-specific to you? Could you envision this film set elsewhere, and why or why not?
Why were the neighbors so suspicious of Santi? How justified were they in their actions?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : February 20, 2026
- Cast : Belén Cuesta , Joaquin Furriel , Diana Gomez
- Director : David Victori
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Latino Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Thriller
- Topics : Family Stories
- Run time : 107 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : March 6, 2026
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate