The Asunta Case

This series kept me enthralled from beginning to end and I had to binge watch the entire show just to see what happened next as there were many twists and turns.

Javier Gutierrez is particularly good here ( I've seen him in several films recently but he excelled in this series), but to be fair, all the actors without exception are fantastic, especially the actors who played the parts of the parents .

There is enough back story to make the police and even jury members realistic. There is also the backdrop of the beautiful Galician landscapes.

This was a real life tragic case but I feel it was sensitively interpreted by the directors and cast.

Rosario and Alfonso report that their adopted Chinese daughter Asunta, 12, has vanished, a Police search begins, and her body is tragically found, her parents are suspected of conspiring in her death.

First off, I had no idea this was based on an actual case, it goes to some pretty dark and bleak places.

Let's be honest, this is a very, very watchable series, but please take my advice, watch it in its original, Spanish form, don't watch the English dubbed version, the voiceovers make it virtually unbearable, Rosario sounds as if she's in a constant state of surprise.

Once I switched it, it came to life, and I could truly appreciate the acting, especially the characterisation of Rosario, The Judge is such an interesting character, you'll wonder if he's right, or simply got an axe to grind, by episode 5, you'll have the answer.

Well paced and never dull, it doesn't lull at any point, one of those shows you'll want to binge watch over a night or two.

Episode five was the most surprising of all, I watched with my jaw open, it was the high point.

8/10.

I'm Spaniard so I really wanted to watch this mini series based on a true crime case. I love to support everything coming from my country. The cast is great, the crime was outrageous but the execution of this series is just so, so. It's just a copy paste of the original documentary and does not add anything new.

First, there is a memorable acting masterclass coming from the mother, that's all. Nothing else. I mean, it could have been a masterpiece but it is not. Several good actors in, so why not to make shine all of them?....

Second, the execution is mostly poor. The camera work is far from other great productions coming from Netflix. Locations are just ok. Nothing remarkable.

Third, the storyline and some of the invented fictional characters are terrible. They try to imitate "Galician accent" and it is embarrassing. Why not to hire real people from Galicia? For example, the great Luis Zahera is one of the most talented and loved ones in Spain. A big letdown.

Last, there are other great series based on Spaniard true crimes like "El cuerpo en llamas", "Antidisturbios" and "Crims" from Carles Porta. Far superior all of them and more accurate, realistic and interesting than this copy paste.

Good acting. Everyone did good in acting their roles that I was almost convinced they were real people. Almost. The side stories of the lives of those involved in the investigation were added for the narrative flow but I think they weren't necessary at all. They didn't have anything to do with the case. Like Christina's fertility issue and the judge's father's situation. Those side stories, for me, were the reason why the documentary felt fictional. Because in real documentaries, no one shows the personal life of investigators involved in the case. I was quite hooked to the story but it was very upsetting in the end because I still feel like I wasted my time on an unresolved case. The parents were very suspicious, yes. But I still don't know what really happened and that is just so upsetting. I don't know if the kid was given justice or not.

This is an excellent series but it's hard to watch because one main character, the mother, is the stupidest woman I've ever encountered in fiction or real life. How anyone could have ever been attracted to her and then actually married her is beyond comprehension. Sometimes it was so painful to watch her whining and displays of cluelessness, I had to fast forward to the next scene. How would a woman like that ever qualifiy for an adoption? She is so idiotic and selfish you want to slap her until she begins to resemble a normal human being. But again, this is a well-made production with fine acting and direction.