El caso Alcàsser

This is a tragic story and one worth telling particularly because the case coincided with the advent of trash TV in Spain. In this case that means Telecinco owned by Sylvio Berlusconi of Italy fame. The Netflix film makers have over indulged themselves in their own sense of importance and take away from the story. There are multiple attempts throughout the episodes where they have put themselves in the "frame" and I found this very distracting from the actual story. None more so than at the end where we have one of the filmmakers pursuing the just released Miguel Ricart onto a train and asking him to sit down to chat appearing as though this is a perfectly reasonable request of a man who has just spent 20+ years in prison and has nowhere to go. Guilty of the same offences they highlight of Telecinco during the series in my opinion. It is also regrettable that at the very end of the last episode they decided to use the current politicised discourse in Spain about gender violence to make their own political statement which was not the theme of the documentary and should not have been used in that way. So regrettably, whilst this is a story worth telling I can't trust that the film makers have told that story. That reflects the poor standards of journalism in the country I've lived in for many years. Also, I needed English subtitles for some parts and they are of really poor quality

It is quite obvious that these poor girls were murdered in some kind of sadistic ritual, as any other explanation doesnt add up, despite the official version. Fernando Garcia, Miriam's father and criminologist, Juan Ignacio Blanco are also fully aware that several prominent people were the real perpetrators but it is horrifying to realise that these shadowy figures are so powerful that they can literally get away with the brutal murders of minors- and that this wasn't the first or the last time that children have been abducted and viciously murdered in this horrific way.

I am very interested in crime shows, and I didn't know at all this case, that frightened Spain in the early 90's. Netflix allows us to discover cases from abroad, not only US serial killers or italian mafia. Cases that have touched a country (in France, for instance, Gregory about a very famous case can be found on the streaming platform) 3 girls have been abducted at the same time, They haven't been found in a 3 month period, but when it happens, the perpetrators have been quickly spotted. Thus, this documentary is not interested in the investigation itself (too bad), but in the impact of media on it. That's why he leaves us with more questions than answers.

This doc pretends to denounce the corruption of crimes by media, but at the very end, is corrupting itself these odious murders of three young girls, by using it in a form of propaganda. Completely irrevelant.

Any fan of crime documentaries will be frustrated by the complete lack of examining the lazy police work that was done for this case. No actual crime scene established by any thorough evidence, supposedly large pieces of evidence were switched by the perpetrators but they left a lot of other things obviously scattered to be found, lost or mishandled or re-found evidence, the magic non-dissolving paper, the crime photographer who couldn't be bothered to take pictures....wow. I feel sorry for Spanish citizens if this is still typical of a case.

At best - it appears the police rushed to shut this case which led to a lot of incompetence and perhaps some evidence planting. And it also appears that this documentary will be about this sloppiness when during the second episode a victim's father begins to question the case.

But then it goes off the rails. The majority of this documentary is about the sensationalism of the Spanish media as well as people in it for their own personal benefit. So-and-so said this on a show and so-and-so said that on another show. Three episodes mainly caught up in wild conspiracy theories makes for a long and uneven documentary.

It does get extra points for not disrespecting the victims with gory details that many crime stories do. However, that probably was not due to an ethical choice by the filmmakers, they were too preoccupied by the media sensationalism as well as ironically getting themselves into the film for some screen time.

And the bizarre rah-rah last two minutes showing Me. Too seemed like a last minute add-on for a confused documentary crew that didn't know how to end this with any solid conclusion.

It is very shocking taking into account that this is a documentary about a reql story. It is very thrilling