Rodrigo_Amaro

It's a little baffling that this true crime miniseries is under the radar of many people out there, since the genre is one of most sought after, but it's also easy to understand since Atresplayer Premium didn't put much effort with its promotion (guess who put the page for it in here?). I got word about ""No se lo digas a nadie" ("Don't Tell Anyone About It") through Beto Ribeiro and his YouTube channel who detailed about the crime, this show and his input on everything (he's an experienced true crime reporter but I don't like much of his unnecessary personal parenthesis while presenting facts). Anyway, without him I wouldn't know about a horrendous yet fascinating story that escaped me when it happened, and most world audiences don't know anything about it and they should know.

The series chronicles the Pioz massacre where members of a Brazilian family were brutally murdered in the smalltown of Pioz, in Spain, and the perpertrator not only was part of the family (a young nephew) but he also live-streamed the crime with a best friend through a social media. The last part gets us wildly curious as it provokes a great debate as to the friend's reactions, and the legal system in prosecuting him as an accomplice of the crime or not. 19-year old Patrick Nogueira murdered his uncle, aunt and two infant cousins in 2016, and the only reasoning behind it was a series of personal issues he had with them while living abroad, trying a career as a soccer player but failing to be a helpful member of the family. Marvin Henriques was the friend of whom Patrick exchanged messages during the crime, asking opinions of what to do with the bodies, and things like that. Unlike the majority of true crime series this tells us a lot about what happened on that fatidic day in 2016, without showing the gory pictures of it all (a positive note for those who avoid those things, a "downer" for those more curious in seeing everything).

With the testimonies of friends, family members and others associated with the case, we closely follow a problematic bullied teenager who wasn't given much attention by anyone, and one who already was given a light sentence with another crime (the stabbing of a teacher). A sociopath in the making who was only perceived as friendly, handsome and popular, and without a closer look on his actions people barely noticed that there was a darker side to the boy. It's all very detailed and without loose ends in order to deconstruct him, the crime and the investigation.

But it also goes back to the friend, Marvin, and his retelling of everything which may upset and intrigue viewers as he's too smiley through the whole thing - as he explains it's a nervous reaction. In this day and age of internet and social media, the discussion about his participation and interference in the murder is the key thing for a legal debate as if he should be included as an assessory (as he was but got acquitted) or not, if he should face extradiction to Spain or get the sentence done in Brazil. Based on the messages shown, I think he should go down as an accomplice, as he gave some input when it comes to the Patrick's uncle murder and neither he found ways to stop Patrick or call authorities. Sure, he explains a lot of his thought and action process, but there's not much of a strong case to favor him.

My two quarrels with the show comes from a certain prejudice related to the perception of Brazilians (totally uncalled for) and a weird happy presentation of certain events with the use of happy fun songs right after or before a serious exposition of facts. Apart for those distractions, "No se lo digas a nadie" was a thrilling, tense and shocking experience with its countless reflections of family dynamics, friendship relations (a lot more beyond the two buddies, almost as if there was a love thing going on), and how the internet can be a ruthless thing (as plenty of their inner circle knew about the crime and didn't say a word to anyone) but also where no perfect crime can exist as there's always traces. 9/10.

A very positive song for one-hit wonder Glass Tiger, "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" has all the good elements that make it a remarkable song of the 1980's: upbeat rhythm, love theme and repetitive chorus that everyone remembers. This clip's good but not all that great, since there's a fun and more conceptual done in Canada, with a little bit of acting involved, rather than seeing an enthusiastic band all happy performing in front of a crowd, cheering and clapping. I don't know, the formula didn't hit me strong with this one, it felt too much and without one bit of originality, throwing something different in between (ok, maybe the set behind the band, with those large windows in the background). But if everybody's happy on screen and I can feel their authenticity, then I'm all game for this song, one of my favorites from the period. Pity they didn't call Bryan Adams (backing vocal in the track) to deliver a cameo. 8/10.

Though I watched "Staying Alive" way back in time, the ballad "Finding Out the Hard Way" by Cynthia Rhodes conquered me through late night radio programs when I kept thinking the song's title was "Islands in the Stream" due to her emphasis with those words as she sings. I never associated with the film until I saw the music video: a basic video performance that includes clips from the movie, herself with John Travolta. And it's a slightly edited version of the track, but Cynthia dominates the screen as she acts/sings, ignoring the environment around her - Tony Manero wasn't too good on her, maybe.

It's a well-performed heartbreak song, with lovely lyrics and filled with rhythm and style, and it's easy to remove itself from the bomb movie. 7/10.