Story Overview

Set against the turbulent political and social landscape of late 18th-century Spain, Goya's Ghosts explores the moral decay of power, faith, and ambition through the eyes of the legendary painter Francisco Goya. Living under the patronage of King Charles IV (Randy Quaid), Goya (Stellan Skarsgård) enjoys prestige and artistic freedom, yet remains a silent witness to the growing brutality of the Spanish Inquisition.

When Goya’s young muse Ines (Natalie Portman) is accused of heresy and moral corruption by the Inquisition, she becomes the victim of a merciless judicial system fueled by fear and hypocrisy. Goya turns to his longtime friend, the ambitious monk Lorenzo (Javier Bardem), hoping to save Ines from torture and execution. However, Lorenzo’s loyalty lies not with friendship or justice, but with power itself.

As the chaos of the French Revolution spreads across Europe, Spain undergoes radical transformation. Years pass, leaving Goya deaf, isolated, and haunted by both personal loss and the horrors he has witnessed. The abolition of the Inquisition brings former prisoners back into society, forcing Goya, Ines, and Lorenzo to confront one another once more—each profoundly changed by history and their own moral choices.

Blending historical drama with philosophical inquiry, Goya's Ghosts presents a dark meditation on fanaticism, opportunism, and the cost of silence in the face of injustice, seen through the fractured conscience of an artist trapped between truth and survival.