The Barrier

One family’s fight for survival in a future dystopian Madrid illustrates the disparity between two worlds separated by a fence — and so much more.

The Barrier (2020) is a Spanish science fiction drama series created by Daniel Écija and broadcast on Atresplayer. Set in a distant future Madrid, it follows one family, centered on Hugo (Unax Ugalde) and Julia (Olivia Molina), as they fight to survive in a city split in two by a towering fence. Alma (Eleonora Wexler) and Emilia (Ángela Molina) are among the other principal figures whose lives are bound up in the divide, and Luis (Abel Folk) and Marta Múgica (Laura Quirós) add pressure from the wider social order. The engine of the show is simple and urgent: the family must find a way to get by while the gap between the two worlds widens, and each episode turns on scarcity, risk and the choices forced by a closed, authoritarian system. Told across a single thirteen-episode season, it is a serialized political thriller in the spirit of Spanish television drama, with a grounded yet bleak look at social injustice. Its tone is tense, somber and claustrophobic, with the emotional weight resting on the bonds of family under pressure. Fans of The Handmaid's Tale, Years and Years and Snowpiercer will find the same dystopian unease and survival stakes here, delivered in a more intimate, European register.

Audiences give The Barrier a mixed reception, with a middling average rating for its single season.

• The Handmaid's Taleshared dystopian division of society by a barrier, survival drama under political oppression
• Years and Yearsshared near-future dystopian political thriller with class division and authoritarian control
• Snowpiercershared post-collapse survival under authoritarian rule and social injustice

Created by

Daniel Écija

Release Date

2020-01-19

Episode runtime

64 min

Rating

6.8 / 10 (137)

What is The Barrier about?

A family fights to survive in a future dystopian Madrid divided from its neighbors by a fence.

What is The Barrier like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Barrier as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.

Is The Barrier violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Barrier as moderate.

What did critics think of The Barrier?

Audiences give The Barrier a mixed reception, with a middling average rating for its single season.

Which shows are like The Barrier?

Shows with a similar feel include The Handmaid's Tale, Years and Years, and Snowpiercer.

How long is The Barrier?

The Barrier: 1 season, 13 episodes.

Is The Barrier still running?

No, The Barrier has ended.

Where can I watch The Barrier?

In United States, The Barrier streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.