La ragazza di neve

To be honest I almost didn't make it through the first episode. Decided to stick with it and ended up really liking it. I'm glad I didn't stop. The main character was my initial problem. She's a journalist for a newspaper and I don't think she smiled except maybe once or twice. She's got a horrific backstory so I forgave her. She gets involved in the story of a 5 year old girl who goes missing during a parade. The story is shown from her perspective along with the female detective that's working on the case. Also shown are the parents story as well as eventually the kidnapper. But the journalist is the real star here. She's tenacious in her fight to solve the mystery and sacrifices some of her own dignity along the way.

The story takes place in Spain with subtitles. There's nothing upbeat or with the slightest bit of humor, as it should be. But that means it's pretty gloomy throughout and seems very suited to the story. In the end, I thought it was very well done and they left it open for a new case.

I actually have no clue why people are giving this bad reviews. First of all, I don't understand how you can compare this to a telenovela. This is nothing like a telenovela. This is an extremely good Spanish version of an American or Nordic thriller series.

I was gripped from start to end, the only thing I would have wished for would be some clarification on certain things. There are a few loopholes.

Someone wrote that they mumble a lot. The Spanish always "mumble", or I'd rather say speak very fast and drop letters, especially those with an Andalucian accent. There is nothing different in this series compared to hearing Spanish people speak to each other in Spain.

Anyway, good series, will keep you excited from start to end.

What more can I say?, if not that this story is as beautifully told as a fine aging wine. From the very first episode, it grips you tight and continues to grow in beauty all the way to the end. It is about determination and not giving up, the tale of how the love of a parent combined with a professional's sens of duty can accomplish big things. I couldn't stop quite honestly, binged it with a few breaks here and there and did not even see the time go by. This is something that I would recommend to anybody who enjoys a good thriller mystery to watch over the weekend. Make yourself a good meal, get some snacks, and drinks, invite a few friends and simple watch this!

This is layered. An engrossing story within an immersive story. Milena Smit is quite convincing as the young journalist with a tortured past that she has difficulty overcoming. Veteran actor Jose Coronado is quite likeable as Miren's teacher and confederate. And Aixa Villagran is quite commendable as the tireless, persistent investigator.

The approach of the film to storytelling is engaging even as it jumps from one year to another. The viewer might be wondering whatever happened to Amaya because her screen presence is limited for the most part to the videos Iris sends to Miren 3 years apart. But the patient viewer gets the complete picture in the penultimate episode.

This Spanish production is worth watching. It's bingeable.

As this six part series opens a family; mother, father and five year old Amaya, attend the festival of the Three Wise Men in Malaga in 2010. As her father buys her a balloon little Amaya walks off. She is not seen again. CCTV suggests that a person, or persons, took her. Miren, a trainee journalist working as an intern for a newspaper is keen to cover the story. In 2016 there has been no real progress in the case. Then, on Amaya's twelfth birthday somebody sends a VHS tape to Miren; it shows Amaya alive and well. This reinvigorates the investigation.

I thought this was a gripping series. The opening succeeds in grabbing the viewer's attention the story manages to keep things interesting right up until the end. This conclusion wraps up most retails but leaves just enough questions unanswered to raise the possibility of another season. The investigations carried out by the police and Miren are interesting to watch although it seemed a little odd that one of the most likely motives for kidnapping a young child wasn't even raised for most of the series... perhaps so viewers can feel smug for considering it before it was shown to be the motive. The mystery doesn't last the whole series; episode five shows us just what happened before the finale wraps things up. I quite liked this. The characters were interesting with the cast doing a solid job throughout. Overall a solid series that doesn't overstay its welcome; six episodes was just the right length.

These comments are based on watching the series in Spanish with English subtitles.