A Dama do Silêncio: La Mataviejitas

Very interesting and well produced documentary. Although I agree that the background music can be annoying at times, this does not affect the final quality. The reproductions of the crime scenes and especially the capture of the killer were done with great finesse. Finally, I have seen other documentaries that deal with real crimes in Mexico and what stands out is the completely flawed justice system, it is not a Democratic State of Law, with respect to fundamental guarantees, which is regrettable. The duration is also a positive point, as there were no uninteresting parallel narratives, really focusing on what mattered, including in a very artistic way.

La Dama Del Silencio. El Caso Mataviejitas (or The Lady Of Silence for the English title) is a Spanish spoken documentary about one of the most famous female serial killers in Mexico. It's well made and informative so I don't get the one star reviews and ratings but everybody is entitled to their opinion. Like always with serial killers cases it's astonishing what kind of mistakes the police forces and investigators made. When you see that innocent people (well at least they're not murderers) are still rotting in jail you can only be ashamed that something like this is still possible in this era. Well it's Mexico so nothing surprises me from a country known for its corruption. Funny (that's sarcastically said) to hear a police officer say that they were surprised to have a serial killer in their country. Let's not forget Mexico is ranked thirteenth in the world for murder rate per capita. So allow me to feel slightly amused to hear such nonsense from a government official. Anyway, I thought this documentary was easy to follow and entertaining if you like true crime documentaries about serial killers.

*"The Lady of Silence: The Mataviejitas Murders" (2023) is a chilling true-crime documentary that delves into the horrifying string of murders that terrorized Mexico City between 1998 and 2005. The film meticulously recounts the investigation, highlighting the fear that gripped the city and the eventual shocking revelation of the unlikely suspect. Through gripping interviews and detailed storytelling, it explores not only the crimes but also societal attitudes and the police's struggle to catch the killer. Dark and compelling, the documentary provides a haunting look at one of Mexico's most notorious cases.

It's definitely a string of serious and captivating cases.

But there are elements in this documentary that just take away from its seriousness. First of all, some of the officers, seriously, "no serial killer in this country before this (since 1940's)?" Give me an effing break, most countries do, let alone Mexico, the problem is just the failures of many police officers in connecting the dots. It's not the fault of the producers that such inane comments were made, but no pushbacks?

Then the soundtrack, what's up with that? Strange application of a theme. I get it, it could instil a sense of irony and suspense, but there's a balance to strike here. The soundtrack at hand is just stupidly, comically farcical, as if being intentionally disrespectful to the victims. It's real life, not Dick Tracy. It can be funny when mocking politicians and police officers, not when victims are being shown. Also, it's perfectly ok to not have extraneous music for a few moments, the incessantly running music shows a lack of discipline and vision.

Then the pictures of victims being strangled being shown like some kind of visual technique. And a myriad of other visual techniques, they're not just distracting, but take away from the gravitas of the situation.

"Oh she has a robe... must be a healthcare personnel" (is dressing up impossible in the country?). Also this happened between 1999 and 2004, there's no more concrete method to verify DNA or whatnots before each suspect is being showcased in a glass cage like some kind of zoo animal? And the cute lock solution? As if that's going to stop a determined killer? "A man crossdresses as a woman," only for one of the officers to go "oh a homosexual" *face melts away emoji*. "Serial killers don't act near where they live or near their workplaces," says one officer (the same officer who claims it's the first time this is happening in the country, yet he has no qualms dispensing generalizations like a master). Seriously? Says who, which study? Because I can easily name some cases that contradict his assertion. What should a professional conduct be like, you ask? I know, getting the serial killer's signature as a sign of fan-girling.

So. Much. Stupidity.

I really enjoy Netflix documentaries, they are regularly well made and researched. However as others have said the background music for this documentary is absolutely awful and makes the very serious subject matter seem farcical. If I was the family members featured in the show I would find it an insulting and disrespectful. I managed to watch fifteen minutes of it and had to give up , what makes it even worse is that the soundtrack is loud and also drowns out some of the speech. I don't understand how this gets past any checks, I really hope in the future we can have an option to turn off background music on documentaries.