La vedova nera

They say that truth is stranger than fiction and I think that applies here because if I hadn't known it was a true story I'm not sure I would have believed in it.

The movie follows a police investigation into the murder of a young man in Valencia, Spain. A prime suspect is quickly identified, but the detectives need to surveil and wire tap for some months to gather enough evidence for a conviction, and also to find a suspected accomplice. The film dramatises both the suspects' and the police actions during this period.

This was a very clever script that quickly outlined the basic facts of the case, and then very slowly drew you right into this strange world. You see the story unfold through the eyes of the detectives and as it becomes more and more surprising so the characters become more and more interesting.

The acting was brilliant all round and the film was well paced and nicely photographed. I was riveted by the end and keen to find out more about the true story.

"A Widow's Game" was a compelling watch. As a true-crime enthusiast, I appreciated its deep dive into a real Spanish murder case I knew nothing about.

The actress playing María (Ivana Baquero) delivered a strong performance, skillfully portraying a manipulative character who exploited men's weaknesses in relationships. The film's overall story about manipulation in love was well-told.

My main critique is the lack of chronological clarity at times, which made following the sequence of events a bit challenging. Also, I would have liked to see real footage or photos of the protagonists at the end, which often enhances true-crime adaptations.

Despite these minor points, it's a worthwhile and thought-provoking film, recommended for fans of true crime and psychological thrillers.

Netflix's latest true crime production, The Black Widow, revisits the infamous and deeply unsettling "Patraix Crime" - and does so without moral anesthesia or a sentimental gloss. It makes no attempt to redeem, to console, or to wrap the horror in politically correct discourse. What it offers instead is the clinical dissection of a murder, premeditated in cold blood by two functional adults who, in 21st-century Spain, believed they could get away with it.

Unlike many productions in the genre that mask their voyeurism with a supposed aim of "honoring the victims," this film goes straight to the point. We do not see the body. We do not witness the crime. There is no exploitation of grief, no emotional pornography. The victim and his family are respected - truly respected - and the film gains rather than loses by this restraint. The lens turns instead to the perpetrators, exposing something more uncomfortable, more revealing, and more socially valuable: the internal architecture of those who cross the line.

Despite its evocative title, this is not a femme fatale fantasy. It is the real case of María Jesús Moreno Cantó - known as "Maje" - a nurse by profession, and Salvador Rodrigo Lapiedra, a hospital technician. Both were arrested on January 12, 2018. A seductive young woman manipulating an older, submissive man into becoming a weapon might sound like a cliché, but it is not. It is an archetype. And archetypes are not inventions of screenwriters - they are patterns of real life, repeated because they work, because they are encoded in our culture, our imagination, and, as Carl Jung would argue, in our collective unconscious.

The most disturbing part is not the crime itself, but its banality. Maje and Salva were convinced they could get away with it. They believed discretion, a sense of moral superiority, or the indifference of those around them would shield them. Pathological ego does not require psychotic delusions to act. It only needs self-indulgence, a functional environment that normalizes transgression, and a generous dose of fantasy. As behavioral neuroscience reminds us, the human brain can justify morally reprehensible actions as long as it sees itself as an exception - or rewrites the ethical script to accommodate its desires.

And this is where The Black Widow excels. There is no sensationalism here. There is anatomy. Not just of the crime, but of the decisions, the rationalizations, the self-deception, and the twisted bond between two people who were not victims of each other, but co-conspirators feeding off their shared delusion.

Ivana Baquero and Tristán Ulloa deliver outstanding performances. She is cold, but never cartoonish. He is pathetic, but recognizably human. The script avoids the easy trap of portraying the killers as inhuman monsters; instead, it shows them for what they are: people. And that is far more terrifying. Because if they are people, then anyone - under the right (or wrong) conditions - could potentially become something similar. That is the truly frightening truth.

For me, the crown jewel is Carmen Machi. In a role stripped of her usual comedic register, she plays the investigator who faces life's harshness head-on and trusts her instincts. Though the character is fictionalized, it stands as a worthy tribute to the real-life police work behind the case - to the kind of investigator who, without epic speeches or spotlight, bears the emotional weight of brutal cases, tracking evidence and confronting institutional fatigue. Machi's performance doesn't rely on grand monologues; it lives in hardened gestures, emotional restraint, and her embodiment of a type of woman fiction often forgets: the resilient professional who carries on simply because she must.

The film's aesthetic choices are also commendable. Carlos Sedes's direction avoids visual sensationalism. There is a clinical cleanliness to the world depicted - hospital corridors, anonymous stairwells, police offices. Everything evokes the banality of evil, to borrow Hannah Arendt's phrase: monstrosity doesn't dwell in gothic castles or dark rituals; it lives in your building's hallway, in the hospital kitchen chat, in a WhatsApp message.

And yes, this too is science. Forensic psychology studies show that the most dangerous criminals are not the cinematic psychopaths, but the functional individuals who integrate their perversion into everyday structures. They are the ones who "don't seem capable of that." The human brain doesn't register danger in those who behave normally - and that is why certain signals go unnoticed: because they do not break the pattern.

Bambú Producciones approaches this story with meticulous care. Eschewing the trap of gory reenactments, they maintain narrative tension by focusing on psychology. Instead of simply recounting what happened, they explore how it could happen, and why the perpetrators convinced themselves that their actions weren't criminal, but justified. This is more than storytelling: it's emotional pedagogy. It teaches how moral self-deception works, and how intimacy can become a stage for domination.

In short, The Black Widow is a resounding success. Not only for its acting and technical quality, but for its ethical stance: it neither glorifies nor trivializes its subjects. It reveals the horror of the ordinary - how easy it is to cross the line when one believes the world owes them something. A work not only to be seen, but to be felt - in the skin, the gut, and, if watched with eyes wide open, in the conscience.

What would constitute a man going through a ' mid life crisis' to commit a murder for a much younger female who he's clearly besotted with? This went through my mind as a flaw to the story but then I remembered it was based on a true life crime in Spain.

It kept us guessing with different view points from each of the would be male suitors esp the gullible male nurse!! Haha!.

I enjoyed the amorally of the lead female because I couldn't wait for her to be caught and put on trial.

My only gripe was I wanted to see more of the breakdown of the relationship between Artimus and his conniving wife.

A solid, decent Netflix thriller.

I am Spaniard so I have watched this one without subtitles, what is a plus.

So, If you love Spanish series like "El cuerpo en llamas", A window's game is for you. The movie is amazingly real as cruel the case it is.

First, the case is sad and at the same time makes you think about how cruel a woman can be.

Second, cast is superb. Great acting from Tristan Ulloa and Carmen Machi. Ivana Baquero is great too.

Last, the settings and production are superb. Pretty close to reality. Around 95% of the movie happened. Also the scenarios are real too.

So, overall an ugly crime, but a great movie. I mean, if you love true crime, this one is for you.