Nahir

The film is loosely based on a real criminal case that became a cause célèbre in Argentina. On December 2017, Fernando Pastorizzo, 20 years old, was found dead near his wrecked motorcycle on a street in Gualeguaychú, Province of Entre Ríos, a medium sized city 230 km north of Buenos Aires. His on/off girlfriend Nahir Galarza, 19, was the last to see him alive and was first interrogated as a witness, then as the principal suspect.

After a series of misleading and contradictory depositions, she confessed to killing Pastorizzo, and was sentenced to life in prison for first degree murder by a panel of three judges (trial by jury is the exception in Argentina). On 2018 she changed her story and the decision was appealed, but one year later it was confirmed by the Superior Court of the province. In 2022 she changed her version of the facts yet again and the case was appealed to the Supreme Court of Argentina that, as of today, June 13, 2024, has not taken a decision.

Out of this material, director Hernán Guerschuny and scriptwriter Sofia Whilhelmi have assembled a solid thriller (some facts and names have been changed or modified). The plot is carried forward at a steady pace, and information is often conveyed with deft touches: short scenes, single phrases or just looks show or suggest the inattention of the judge panel, the rush to convict and the scarce attention to obvious directions of investigation. A masterful short scene tells much about Nahir's relationship with a family member, and perhaps with the family itself. There is also a skillful use of flashbacks; sometimes they refer to the same facts seen (or declared) by different characters. The final twist is not forced and does not solve all doubts (a plus). The is some social comment (the irresponsibility of the press, gender discrimination) but without preaching. First rate acting and cinematography. A film to watch.

This is my first review on IMDb. I feel compelled to warn people about the miscast actress in the lead role; she's 10 years older than when the perpetrator did this crime, and additionally, she's skeletally thin, clearly anorexic. I have no idea why Prime wanted to make this movie. And as for the actress playing the perpetrator's mother, she wears a ridiculous wig which is distracting, too.

I wanted to like this movie, but it was just terrible. Had to a actually fast forward through some parts. Tons and tons of kissing scenes, too. Gross. This is not a product that as a prime member I would have any interest in watching in the future; Amazon can do better.

Everyone knows some people have relationships that are full of drama and fighting, and it grew very tiresome to watch the back and forth of these two. The perpetrator was a blonde princess who, I would imagine, thought she'd get away with it or explain her way out of it. End of story.

One thing well known is that Argentina is a country that has a high crime rate and although there are many cases, Nahir's case was one of the few that managed to reach a high level of relevance, demonstrating that if a tragedy achieves be attractive enough, you can earn profit from it. Because it was the first time that a 19-year-old girl has been sentenced to life in prison, it was inevitable that it could become a media business and lead to the creation of a film.

Amazon Prime's Nahir has resurrected this case that she could have been forgotten about, but because of how profitable it is, it is not easy to leave it aside. The film has aroused uncomfortable reactions and although it gives the impression that it makes Nahir look like a victim, the truth is that the film has its successes. It takes the most known and basic elements of the case and tries to create a story with what is known about the case. It does not leave aside Nahir's three different statements that are her official confession, Federico's accusation and Marcelo Galarza's incrimination. In these aspects the film manages to portrait the case although it has some gaps that needed to be filled. It would have been helpful to have explored the relationship between Nahir and Federico more, but that did not seem to be possible due to how little is known about their relationship. Valentina Zenere is perfect as Nahir and to a large extent she knew how to reflect the coldness of the real Nahir. She would be the only one of note, as most of the cast's performances are flat or lacking in emotion.

The story is told from Nahir's perspective using a formula almost similar to that of the Jeffrey Dahmer series and the Joker film. When a story is told from the perspective of a murderer, it serves to understand his psychology and to make it clear that even the most deranged murderers are still human beings. The negative reaction to the film is because of the way it humanizes Nahir, but that's because it's much easier to see a criminal as a monster and dehumanize him. Many times in these types of cases no one except experts in criminal psychology take the trouble to further explore an individual guilty of a criminal act. Many only see things in black and white where people are divided between innocent and guilty, but the reality is that there is no such thing as innocent people. Always wishing the worst for someone like Nahir does not make you a better person, it certainly makes you just as inhuman and in that aspect you are not innocent either. We all have some history that at some point has to be paid, even if the price is the lives of our own children. Although many say that Federico and Nahir should have separated as if it were something easy, the truth is that in youth it is difficult to break away from a strong emotional bond. Sometimes the only way to break that bond is to take drastic measures. The case has its complex side more due to the fact that Argentina has a large number of cases where the victims are women and the perpetrators are men. When the case is the other way around, it is easier to treat the female with more respect when it should not be that way. That is the failure of the Argentine justice system because the reality is that violence has no gender, as Federico's father once declared. In that aspect, gender violence does not really exist.

Many of Federico's acquaintances maintain that Nahir should be punished, but the young woman's mother thinks otherwise. It is not unusual for the mother to continue defending her because obviously that is what mothers do, they defend their children until the end. That does not make her different from Federico's parents because for a mother the life of a child is worth a lot. If Nahir's opponents consider that the girl's life should not be respected, then Federico's life should also mean nothing. Just as they say that Nahir's case should not be popular, Federico's death should also be insignificant. The valid point here would be that Nahir's sentence and Federico's death should not be important because it is just another case and the young man is just another dead person. Taking into account how Nahir is currently in prison, it is clear that she has somehow managed to get away with it. The fame she has received thanks to the media and the good treatment she is receiving in prison make the case have a rather bittersweet ending. We must not forget that Nahir also has her own followers because even figures like Jeffrey Dahmer have their own fans.

As for the film, the final verdict is that it is a decent dramatization of the real case despite its holes. Whether it is something created to continue making money through a tragedy, since the life of a human being is worth the same as the life of an insect, the truth is that this proves that the case of Nahir Galarza has already become something close to an urban legend and so it will prevail until time decides its future. For our current society, being a figure of this kind is now a prestige and the possibility of Nahir obtaining his freedom in the future is not ruled out, thus concluding another popular event in modern Argentine history. My final rating for this movie is a 7/10.

The characters are not believable, the acting is weak and heavy handed. The story felt dragged out, lots of unnecessary scenes and plenty of missing necessary ones. The repeating the murder scene but changing it each time has been done before but better in every movie I have seen it happen.

The writer does not appear to understand how to tell a story in a compelling manner. They seem to be aiming for humanising the lead but that did not work and they were not interesting or compelling. None of the characters are worth caring about and frankly I don't know why I didn't stop watching.

The people who worked on the lighting and shot composition have raised this from 1 star to 2.

This is not a common review. The movie plot is an outrage. A "film" (actually just a low budget tv one) with a preposterous and unnaceptable script. The murderer in real life, a psyco, here's just a poor naive girl. Nothing farther from the truth. The people involved should apologize. To lie is to be a bad person. My two cents: there are people who'll do anything for money, it seems. If they really didn't mean no harm, forgiveness is possible, but they must ask for it first. Fernando and his family and friends, the true victims, should be compensated. Awful mistake making such a terrible movie.