The filmmaker Oriol Paulo is heading back to Netflix, though the project carrying him there is not the kind of feature his fans might expect. "Proxies," a thirteen-minute science fiction thriller he is shepherding for the streamer, will debut on 11 December 2026, OTT Stories has confirmed. It marks a return to the platform for a director whose twist-heavy Spanish-language features have become staples of Netflix's international catalogue, but this time the spotlight falls on a short-form story about a woman who builds a machine and pays for it in pieces of herself.
The premise is deceptively simple. Jen, played by Edith Haagenrud-Sande, invents a device meant to help her reach her goals. Each time she puts it to use, a fragment of who she is slips away. Osvald Windfeld Jørgensen appears as Gabriel. The film blends science fiction, thriller and drama, and runs just thirteen minutes, a length that suggests a tight, single-idea narrative rather than the layered mystery plotting that has defined much of Paulo's best-known work.
The cast is small and the setup is spare, which puts unusual weight on the two leads. Haagenrud-Sande carries the central arc as Jen, a character whose self-inflicted erosion is the engine of the story. Jørgensen's Gabriel adds a second presence to a film that otherwise appears built around isolation and consequence. Neither performer comes with the kind of marquee recognition that typically drives streaming traffic, so the appeal here rests on concept and execution rather than star power.
Paulo's attachment is the headline. Over the past decade he has built a reputation for precision-engineered suspense, and Netflix has been a key partner in bringing that work to a global audience. News that he is returning to the platform will inevitably raise expectations, even though "Proxies" is a far smaller canvas than the features that made his name. The gap between a thirteen-minute short and a full-length thriller is not just a matter of running time; it changes how much room a filmmaker has to build atmosphere, plant clues and pay them off.
It is worth noting that "Proxies" is not a new production. The film's release date is listed as 4 May 2025, meaning it has already been completed and seen some form of distribution before this Netflix window. Its arrival on the service in December therefore reads as a second life rather than a premiere in the strictest sense, a distinction that matters for how the announcement should be framed. For Netflix subscribers unfamiliar with the short, however, it will function as a fresh title.
Patrekur Thor directed the film, and the discrepancy between the on-screen credit and the promotional emphasis on Paulo is likely to draw questions. Paulo's involvement could stem from a producer or presenter role, a common arrangement in which an established name lends visibility to a smaller project. Whatever the precise nature of his contribution, the marketing around the December launch is clearly leaning on his reputation to draw eyes to a short that might otherwise pass unnoticed in a crowded seasonal slate.
TMDb currently lists a rating of 0 out of 10, which reflects an absence of aggregated audience votes rather than any verdict on quality. Low vote counts on shorts are common, and the figure should not be read as a critical assessment. With a broader Netflix release approaching, that number may begin to move.
A December premiere places "Proxies" in a competitive corridor. Streaming platforms tend to load the final weeks of the year with prestige titles and family fare, and a thirteen-minute genre piece will need to stand out on concept alone. The hook - a machine that grants progress at the cost of identity - is the sort of premise that travels well across languages and markets, which may explain Netflix's interest in giving it a prominent slot.
For Paulo, the release is a low-risk addition to an already established relationship with the streamer. For Thor, it is a chance at significantly wider exposure. For audiences, "Proxies" offers a compact, self-contained story about ambition and its price, arriving just in time for the year's final stretch. It lands on Netflix on 11 December.
Source: Netflix Newsroom
