Handlung

Benito Freire is a peddler who lives miserably in an environment dominated by ignorance and superstition. He is dedicated to peddling by the Galician towns and suffers severe attacks of epilepsy. Through the region begins to spread the rumor that he is a werewolf and that he is possessed by a demonic spirit. And it will be precisely the stories that people are telling about him what start to make him go crazy.—jsanchez

Benito Freire trudges through the misty hills of Galicia, his worn pack filled with trinkets and household goods that he hawks from village to village. A solitary figure bent by years of hardship, he suffers from violent epileptic seizures that leave him convulsing on the ground, foam at his mouth, his eyes rolling back in terrifying displays that the superstitious villagers interpret as demonic possession. The medieval mindset of rural Spain in the 19th century cannot comprehend medical explanations for his condition, and whispers begin to follow him from town to town. In one village, a child goes missing during one of Benito's visits. The timing proves unfortunate, as his epileptic fit occurs near the same location where the child was last seen. The villagers, already suspicious of the strange peddler who arrives with his seizures and odd behavior, begin to connect his presence with the disappearance. Rumors spread like wildfire through the region, growing more elaborate with each telling. He is a werewolf, they say, a shape-shifter who preys on the innocent under the cover of darkness. More disappearances occur, and each time, Benito's arrival in the area precedes the vanishing. The local priest and authorities become involved, investigating the claims with a mixture of religious fervor and genuine concern for public safety. Benito, unaware of the growing suspicions, continues his rounds, his seizures becoming more frequent and severe as stress mounts. The isolation weighs heavily on him, and he begins to question his own sanity as the accusations pile up. The climax arrives when a mob forms to hunt down the supposed werewolf. Benito, cornered and desperate, experiences his most severe seizure yet, which the crowd interprets as a transformation attempt. In his delirium, confused and terrorized, he begins to believe the stories himself, wondering if he truly is the monster they claim him to be. The film ends with Benito's capture, his fate sealed not by any supernatural curse but by the dangerous combination of medical ignorance and collective hysteria that has transformed a sick man into a scapegoat for the community's fears and unexplained tragedies.