This is a brilliant exposé of a mishandled investigation. It is hard for a north european like myself to judge the veracity of the political maneuverings that may or may not have been behind the 'burial' of the case - although they come over as very authentic - but the mordant social critique is recognizable and applicable world wide. Yes, the series plays like a telenovela, but it does so deliberately in order to open our eyes on how tragedy can, and does, become trivialized through current methods of media coverage and media consumption. The musical score underlines this perfectly. Those who see disrespect towards the victim need to watch again, and listen again, more attentively. The little silent victim nestles at the heart of the project, and the last scene depicts this sparingly but beautifully: we see Paulette's nanny - maybe the only person who truly cared for her - switch off the tv in disgust and exit the room, passing by a table on which there is a photo of Paulette with a lit candle burning in front of it. Far from a mess or a commercial exploitation, for me this series comes close to being a masterpiece.
Review of The Search
