Movie Review: Is 'Offering to the Storm' A Worthy Trilogy Finale?

Offering to the Storm Ofrenda a la tormenta Marta Etura Amaia Salazar Leonardo Sbaraglia Leonardo Sbaraglia Juez Markina Susi Sánchez Rosario Salazar Netflix
Image by Netflix

The finale to the Baztan trilogy is here, but is it a satisfying one? Not too long ago, Netflix thrilled with the second installment (“The Legacy of the Bones”). Now comes the follow-up to that movie’s bone-chilling ending. “Offering to the Storm” (“Ofrenda a la Tormenta”) picks up with Amaia’s unhelpful sisters insisting their evil mother is dead.

Amaia Salazar (Marta Etura) is highly doubtful, which leads to tension with those who insist the worst is over. Not so fast. Amaia is working to resolve her mother’s fate and the murder investigation she is heavily entwined in. As Amaia does this, “Offering to the Storm” digs deeper into the valley’s satanic cult, and its role in the ritual slayings both past and present.

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A lot of it is easy to figure out. However, the human element that makes the trilogy so compelling proves integral in “Offering to the Storm.” Without it, the story is unnecessarily drawn-out and tedious. The movie is engaging and it is worth the extra time to dig deeper into the drama surrounding Amaia and the love triangle she finds herself navigating.

That said, Amaia’s decisions have never been more hard-to-follow or disappointing than they are in “Offering to the Storm.” The last movie saw her act ignorantly, only to see her act more so in its sequel. In the third part of the Baztan trilogy, she makes more awful choices. This time willingly, and worst of all -- selfishly. In doing so, Amaia is at her worst, as the trilogy plots the final leg of its mystery.

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Like the ending of “Game of Thrones,” there is disappointment in how its story is resolved. The most frustrating angle being a build-up of storylines that end up not mattering in the overall scheme of things. Add in a lack of comeuppances with an abrupt conclusion and you have the recipe to dissatisfaction. “Offering to the Storm” manages to stay compelling enough that this viewer does not feel short-changed.

Thank goodness for lead actress Marta Etura, who single-handedly keeps viewers engaged in caring for a character who greatly loses the right to such passion. Once a sympathetic heroine investigating a harrowing mystery, Amaia leaves the Baztan trilogy as its most disgraced player, even more so than her regrettable older sister.

While the movie spends so much time wading through the mystery, it loses the compass at the center of its drama. “Offering to the Storm” makes its greatest sacrifice in the moral fortitude and intellect of Amaia. Would I watch a fourth installment in hopes of seeing her regain them? Most definitely.

All told, “Offering to the Storm” is a compelling watch that brings about a finite end to the Baztan trilogy. As for Amaia, Marta Etura’s charisma keeps her afloat as a heroine longer than she otherwise might have. Between Etura and the twists of the central mystery, all three movies are worth streaming on Netflix.

Rating: 7/10


All three parts of the Baztan Trilogy (“The Invisible Guardian,” “The Legacy of the Bones,” and “Offering to the Storm” are streaming on Netflix along with some really great movies.

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