Timothy Spall and his son Rafe starred in a dark Spanish thriller you won’t have heard about

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Timothy and Rafe Spall, a father-and-son acting team, are both successful in their own careers, but they recently worked together on a suspenseful thriller filmed in Spain. The movie, called *Rich Flu*, came out last year and you might have missed it.

The film, fittingly named, centers around a virus that specifically attacks the world’s wealthiest and most powerful individuals, beginning with billionaires, then millionaires, and gradually spreading to those with less fortune.

The story initially centers on extravagant wealth, but quickly shifts to a situation where everyone is forced to give up their possessions. However, there’s no one left to buy anything, creating a unique conflict. It’s a blend of class conflict and a science fiction pandemic scenario.

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Timothy plays the character of Sebastian Snail Sr., and his son stars as Toni. The cast also includes Mary Elizabeth Winstead (known for *Ahsoka*), Lorraine Bracco (*The Sopranos*), Jonah Hauer-King (*Doctor Who*), Dixie Egerickx (*The Secret Garden*), and César Domboy (*Outlander*).

Directed and co-written by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia—the creator of the Netflix film *The Platform*—*Rich Flu* premiered at the Sitges Film Festival in Spain about a year ago.

The movie’s reviews haven’t been very positive. Blu-ray.com acknowledged the film had a promising idea, but felt it explored a major theme for an hour only to reach an obvious conclusion.

According to Sensacine (via Rotten Tomatoes), Gaztelu-Urrutia’s film feels similar to other dystopian movies, but doesn’t quite reach the same level of visual impact or storytelling power.

In contrast, *El País* praised the film as a large-scale, fully Spanish production. They highlighted its English language dialogue, strong international cast, and the impressive work of Spanish artists and technicians, noting it offered more substance than just a quick, attention-grabbing moment.

Viewers had mixed reactions, with one Letterboxd user calling the film a “great concept” but “poorly executed.” They felt it was overly simplistic in its critique of capitalism, comparing it to a basic school report, and delivered with a complete lack of finesse – like “throwing a chihuahua at an onrushing plane.”

One person thought the film had potential but wasn’t very engaging, while another felt the story was good but ultimately underachieved.

One viewer described it as surpassing even ‘so bad it’s good’ status, calling their moviegoing experience ‘divine’.

The trailer for the movie *Rich Flu* is available on YouTube and gives a sneak peek at the story. It reveals that one of the symptoms of the disease featured in the film is… glowing teeth! You read that right.

If you’re hoping to watch it in the UK, a distributor hasn’t been confirmed yet, so keep an eye out for updates on when it will be released.

This isn’t the first time father and son Spall have worked together. They previously collaborated on the 2007 ITV adaptation of E.M. Forster’s *A Room with a View*.

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2025-10-15 17:49