Goya's Ghosts

Against the tumultuous backdrop of 1792, when Spain trembles under the aftershocks of the French Revolution, Francisco Goya (the renowned painter) plies his craft as the Official Court Painter to Spain's royalty, capturing likenesses with precision and flair. However, his art is not without controversy, as the Spanish Inquisition takes umbrage with certain depictions, viewing them as an affront to the faith.

In a curious twist of fate, Brother Lorenzo Casamares, a stalwart defender of Goya's work, commissions a portrait from the artist himself. As they pose together, Lorenzo shares his astute observation that Goya's creations merely reflect evil, rather than embodying it. His counsel is heeded, and the Inquisition grants him increased power to root out anti-Catholic practices.

Meanwhile, the life of Inés, daughter of the wealthy merchant Tomás Bilbatúa, takes a dramatic turn when she becomes embroiled in controversy. Her innocent refusal to partake in pork at a tavern attracts the attention of Holy Office spies (trained by Lorenzo), who subsequently summon her before the Inquisition on charges of "Judaizing". The authorities subject her to brutal treatment, stripping her naked and employing the dreaded strappado (putting her to The Question) in an effort to extract a confession.

In the aftermath of this ordeal, Bilbatúa implores Goya for assistance, prompting the artist to seek out Lorenzo's counsel. The Brother discovers Inés languishing in a dungeon, feigning aid as she conveys a message to her family. As he offers prayers with her, his own desires are pitted against his duty.

Later, at a dinner hosted by Bilbatúa himself, where Goya and the Brother are honored guests, Lorenzo defends the practice of strappado, arguing that those who confess under duress must be guilty. His hosts, however, remain unconvinced, with Bilbatúa pointing out that individuals will confess to anything under torture.

Enraged by Lorenzo's callous stance, Bilbatúa concocts a plan to teach him a lesson. He forges a document declaring Lorenzo has confessed to being a monkey and then, with the aid of his sons, subjects the Brother to a merciless reenactment of strappado, eventually extracting a signed confession. In an effort to curry favor with the Holy Office, Bilbatúa offers a generous gold donation to the Church, promising that if Inés is released, he will destroy the incriminating document.

As Inés' desperate plight continued to unfold before him, Lorenzo made one final plea to Father Gregorio, showering him with gold in a futile attempt to secure her release. The calculating Inquisitor-General accepted the bribe, but his conscience remained unmoved, refusing to grant Inés' freedom despite her confessed guilt. Lorenzo's subsequent visit to the imprisoned woman took on a more sinister tone as he proposed praying alongside her, only to succumb to his base desires and commit a heinous act of violence. The document detailing Inés' confession was eventually brought before King Charles IV, who entertained himself with its contents before promising a cursory investigation into her situation. Meanwhile, the Holy Office's embarrassment at Lorenzo's actions led him to flee the scene as they closed in for arrest, his portrait being confiscated and publicly burned as a symbol of shame.

Decades would pass, marked by Inés' unyielding torment in the dungeons below. When the French army finally arrived, sweeping aside the Inquisition's shackles, Lorenzo had long since fled to France, where he became an ardent champion of the French Revolution and Napoleon's chief prosecutor against his former colleagues. This sudden transformation may have been inspired by Juan Antonio Llorente's own tumultuous journey.

Inés, however, was left to slowly unravel in the darkness, her sanity gradually eroding as she gave birth to a daughter who would be cruelly taken from her at birth. The discovery of her family's lifeless bodies upon returning home served only to further devastate Inés, leading her to seek solace in Goya's artistic genius. Unbeknownst to her, Lorenzo had sired the child, an awkward truth that would soon prove a thorn in his side. He dispatched Inés to an asylum, hoping to contain her anguish and protect his own reputation.

As the condemned Inquisitor-General faced his end, he imparted crucial information to Lorenzo: any child born within the dungeon's walls would have been left at an orphanage. It was then that Lorenzo began searching for Alicia, only to discover that she had vanished from the orphanage several years prior.

As the euphoria of Inés' misguided assumption settles, she stumbles into the local tavern, where fate presents her with an unexpected gift: a crying infant abandoned by its mother in the chaos of war. The deluded mother's tears now replaced with Inés' own maternal longings, she seizes the opportunity to reclaim what she believes is hers, snatching the baby from the tavern's rustic floorboards.

Meanwhile, the British army, bolstered by the cooperation of the Spanish populace, proves a formidable force against the French. Their triumphant advance culminates in a brutal assault on a convoy of wagons transporting sex workers. The French escort, abandoning their charges, prompts Alicia to catch the eye of a dashing British officer. Lorenzo, caught red-handed fleeing the invasion, is met with swift and merciless justice; Spain's Inquisition, reinvigorated by the war effort, sentences him to death.

As Lorenzo approaches his fate, he finds himself face-to-face with an old friend turned executioner - the Inquisitor-General who once spared his life. The former now urges repentance as Lorenzo is led to the scaffold, adorned in a sanbenito bearing painted flames, a gruesome reminder of his impending damnation. Amidst the crowd, Alicia taunts him from beside her British suitor, while Goya sketches the scene at a remove. Inés, too, is present, cradling the baby she believes to be their daughter - a misconception that refuses to yield.

Lorenzo's defiance in the face of death prompts his former colleagues to plead for his repentance, but it falls on deaf ears. The noose does its duty, silencing Lorenzo's protests as he meets his maker. As his lifeless body is carted away, Inés still clutches her supposed daughter, accompanied by Goya, who trails behind, beckoning her to follow him. Her gaze flicks back with a fleeting smile before she remains steadfast in her procession, an eerie tableau that bookends the film's somber conclusion.