Very interesting case and the series gives an insight about how media can be used for your own cause. The father of one of the girls is a real character and I think its hard to like him, even though he was a hero back then. Terrible fate for these poor girls and it must have been tough to follow the case on TV every day for so many years. I enjoyed the series but then comes the end, its a joke. The story about the girls are used to try to accuse all men of sexism, in true metoo spirit. Just awful. Ialmost could not believe it. Stop watching when its 15 minutes left of the last episode and you will like this series much more.
23 Reviews
Making a Maelstrom. . .
hurleycompanies21 June 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Unlike the excellent Netflix series Making a Murderer, The Alcasser Murders is more about the subsequent media circus and the willingness of people to embrace wildly speculative theories. Once people embrace a conspiracy theory, confirmation bias keeps them from acknowledging contradicting evidence.
The fact that it's possible that this case involved some esoteric cult of prominent people doesn't mean that it happened. But when somebody who seems knowledgeable puts forth such an idea with certainty backed by supposed "evidence," people start to believe--and the cycle of confirmation bias begins.
Sometimes there really are conspiracies and sometimes the most bizarre explanations are true, but the vast majority of the time it's the simplest, most logical story that fits the evidence. In this case, it seems pretty clear that the sadistic leader got away (probably to die shortly thereafter when jumping overboard from the ship on which he was stowed away) and his weak-minded minion served a fraction of the time that he deserved.
Most conspiracy theorists ignore the reality of Occam's razor in crime cases. Yes, it's possible that the moon landing was faked, but it wasn't. The 9/11 attacks weren't orchestrated by the government. Jets aren't spreading chemicals to make us more docile.
The Alcasser Murders is an interesting study in human behavior from many perspectives: capacity for violence, lust for attention, willingness to believe outrageous claims, desire for revenge, exploitation of kindness, and outright deceit. Go into it with a curiosity for these human capacities and you will be fascinated. But if you're looking for a Making a Murderer mystery, it will be less fulfilling.
The fact that it's possible that this case involved some esoteric cult of prominent people doesn't mean that it happened. But when somebody who seems knowledgeable puts forth such an idea with certainty backed by supposed "evidence," people start to believe--and the cycle of confirmation bias begins.
Sometimes there really are conspiracies and sometimes the most bizarre explanations are true, but the vast majority of the time it's the simplest, most logical story that fits the evidence. In this case, it seems pretty clear that the sadistic leader got away (probably to die shortly thereafter when jumping overboard from the ship on which he was stowed away) and his weak-minded minion served a fraction of the time that he deserved.
Most conspiracy theorists ignore the reality of Occam's razor in crime cases. Yes, it's possible that the moon landing was faked, but it wasn't. The 9/11 attacks weren't orchestrated by the government. Jets aren't spreading chemicals to make us more docile.
The Alcasser Murders is an interesting study in human behavior from many perspectives: capacity for violence, lust for attention, willingness to believe outrageous claims, desire for revenge, exploitation of kindness, and outright deceit. Go into it with a curiosity for these human capacities and you will be fascinated. But if you're looking for a Making a Murderer mystery, it will be less fulfilling.
Poorly told, nothing new
noelia-francisco18 June 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The show mainly focusses on the morbidity of the case, the poor taste showed by the Spanish media at the time and the deception of a father blinded by grief and a so-called journalist and criminologist who basically joined the circus that was Spain in 1993.
As a Spaniard who grew up with this case on TV the series shows no new details at the same time that it doesn't present you with a clear picture of e.g. what injuries did these girls suffer? The storytelling style doesn't allow you to even begin to comprehend the brutality and masochist characteristics of the crime (including mutilation, something they very loosely mention on episode 4...).
One of the positives of it all is that it wraps up with a reflection on gender violence and how little it's been accomplished thus far, as in 2019 we still have laws and judges that rule against the victims.
It also reflects on how women are still considered "less than" and how little to nothing is being proactively done to stop rapes, violence and murder towards women, in terms of education, law and punishment amongst other.
Our society is embarrassing. Let's hope for extinction.
Almost gave 8
drukksignage18 July 2021
This was an interesting documentary and a bit different from what I've seen here in Sweden since most are american productions. My rating of 2 is based on the ending. I don't understand what #metoo has to do with all these years documenting an otherwise interesting and at the same time brutal and hideous murders. It's almost being insulting to all people involved and in the end including the viewers.
Fathers passion to find daughters killers
bretleversha4 February 2022
It's frustrating to watch with no clear evidence as to who really killed the girl's. It does provide lots of theories, but they seem to lead nowhere. The lengths the father of the murdered girl goes to is commendable but saddens me that l feel other participants in the murders have gotten away. I'm also saddened by how badly women were still treated in this day & age, though we do see improvements to protecting women against sexual violence. It feels like the documentary goes longer than needed, still worth a watch.
Very interesting documentary about the media circus around one the most famous crimes in Spain
elena-grandal24 June 2019
It is difficult to tell a story like this one without being morbid and sensationalist and Netflix manages perfectly. It focuses on the horrible media circus that created this case in Spain back in the 90's.
I was a kid back then and I still remember how this murders horrified the whole country. There a not cheap recreations or morbid details, just investigation about the trial and media coverage. Very interesting.
Shocking
arighome17 June 2019
It is quite obvious that these poor girls were murdered in some kind of sadistic ritual, as any other explanation doesnt add up, despite the official version.
Fernando Garcia, Miriam's father and criminologist, Juan Ignacio Blanco are also fully aware that several prominent people were the real perpetrators but it is horrifying to realise that these shadowy figures are so powerful that they can literally get away with the brutal murders of minors- and that this wasn't the first or the last time that children have been abducted and viciously murdered in this horrific way.
Thrilling
jesusjorgevarelaperez15 June 2019
Messy
drewlr27 June 2019
Warning: Spoilers
What promised to be a gripping documentary based on the murders of 3 innocent young women, seemed to lose its way.
If you're not a Spanish speaker it's difficult to watch, because of the editing, subtitles and amount of information on the screen at any one time.
I found the ending quite odd as it didn't really conclude and seemed to tag on statistics to justify its message.
Shocking
noahescomoes16 June 2019
Intense Terribly Sad Well Investigated
pik92317 August 2023
I applaud the director editor the crew behind this story and the amount of research that they accomplished.
Spanish is not a language I know so I'm relying on the subtitles that seem pretty good...
The film moves back and forth both in time and the layering of information. It does not expose all the facts immediately.
This demands my complete and absolute attention and I could not drift away or divert my eyes from the subtitles for one moment
This style of story telling is intense and builds with each new twist snd turn. I applaud the filmmakers it is quite an experience especially when it comes to the murder of three young teenagers. Keep a box of tissues near by.
Not a huge fan of Netflix but I do appreciate their lists of foreign documentary films - my condolences to the family and friends of thee lovely young women who were murdered.
Spanish is not a language I know so I'm relying on the subtitles that seem pretty good...
The film moves back and forth both in time and the layering of information. It does not expose all the facts immediately.
This demands my complete and absolute attention and I could not drift away or divert my eyes from the subtitles for one moment
This style of story telling is intense and builds with each new twist snd turn. I applaud the filmmakers it is quite an experience especially when it comes to the murder of three young teenagers. Keep a box of tissues near by.
Not a huge fan of Netflix but I do appreciate their lists of foreign documentary films - my condolences to the family and friends of thee lovely young women who were murdered.
Interesting story poorly told
jj-keaney26 June 2019
This is a tragic story and one worth telling particularly because the case coincided with the advent of trash TV in Spain. In this case that means Telecinco owned by Sylvio Berlusconi of Italy fame. The Netflix film makers have over indulged themselves in their own sense of importance and take away from the story. There are multiple attempts throughout the episodes where they have put themselves in the "frame" and I found this very distracting from the actual story. None more so than at the end where we have one of the filmmakers pursuing the just released Miguel Ricart onto a train and asking him to sit down to chat appearing as though this is a perfectly reasonable request of a man who has just spent 20+ years in prison and has nowhere to go. Guilty of the same offences they highlight of Telecinco during the series in my opinion.
It is also regrettable that at the very end of the last episode they decided to use the current politicised discourse in Spain about gender violence to make their own political statement which was not the theme of the documentary and should not have been used in that way.
So regrettably, whilst this is a story worth telling I can't trust that the film makers have told that story. That reflects the poor standards of journalism in the country I've lived in for many years.
Also, I needed English subtitles for some parts and they are of really poor quality
Very chaotic
deepblue50124 November 2020
Extremely chaotic documentary with illogical editing, jumps and repetitive facts that are difficult to follow.
The story itself is interesting, especially with the advent of trash media in the background. But the documentary drags on way too long and becomes boring and hard to watch.
The filmmakers also show themselves too often which detracts from the immersion.
Not recommended.
The story itself is interesting, especially with the advent of trash media in the background. But the documentary drags on way too long and becomes boring and hard to watch.
The filmmakers also show themselves too often which detracts from the immersion.
Not recommended.
By Far the Worst Documentary Ever Made
imdb-148839 August 2019
This was the worst production I've ever encountered. It is extremely hard to follow the events and the meaning of facts and evidence presented. Even though Spanish is my first language, it was really hard to follow what they were trying to convey. You will say "what... wait... what's going on?" more than a dozen times while you watch this thing. On top of everything, there is no resolution! They had to invent a social resolution that has almost nothing to do with they were hinting on the first place. Extremely disappointed is an understatement to what I felt when this confusing documentary ended.
A great story with a terrible ending
flapy_g21 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
What seemed to be an interesting story of a complex investigation of a murder, with the addition of a tv reality show doing a parallel investigation while the whole country was watching, it turns out to be a story to promote an ideology like actual feminism.
The real story didn't even finish and you feel something is missing, instead, this story ends with worldwide feminism demonstrations.
Odious treatment for an odious case
xavier-knoepffler29 May 2020
I am very interested in crime shows, and I didn't know at all this case, that frightened Spain in the early 90's. Netflix allows us to discover cases from abroad, not only US serial killers or italian mafia. Cases that have touched a country (in France, for instance, Gregory about a very famous case can be found on the streaming platform)
3 girls have been abducted at the same time, They haven't been found in a 3 month period, but when it happens, the perpetrators have been quickly spotted.
Thus, this documentary is not interested in the investigation itself (too bad), but in the impact of media on it. That's why he leaves us with more questions than answers.
This doc pretends to denounce the corruption of crimes by media, but at the very end, is corrupting itself these odious murders of three young girls, by using it in a form of propaganda. Completely irrevelant.
This doc pretends to denounce the corruption of crimes by media, but at the very end, is corrupting itself these odious murders of three young girls, by using it in a form of propaganda. Completely irrevelant.
What a cluster...
jesuison21 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This documentary was all over the place, but more importantly, it wasn't about the murder of three girls at all. It was about the ineptitude of anyone even close to this case. Episode after episode you will wait for some coherence to this story, only to find there is zero payoff, you don't understand who actually did it, the accused parties and victims are the least talked about characters, no explanation to where one suspect is, and lots of wasted time showing the least interesting parts of the case ad nauseam. Don't get me started on the completely out of place ode to #metoo ending. What did that have to do with anything? Even if they didn't skip all over the place with dates, it would have been a terrible watch. I actually had to skip a lot of the last two episodes because it completely lost its way, and by then I was hate-watching it since I had invested too much time already.
Least of all, I don't mind subtitles at all, but this needs a dubbed in English version if you want any hope of comprehending what is going on.
I give it a 2 because it was interesting to see how grossly mismanaged the victims families were by the media. Please do not waste your time, you will definitely regret it.
Least of all, I don't mind subtitles at all, but this needs a dubbed in English version if you want any hope of comprehending what is going on.
I give it a 2 because it was interesting to see how grossly mismanaged the victims families were by the media. Please do not waste your time, you will definitely regret it.
Inept police work gets buried by focusing on media sensationalism
Road9666 March 2022
Any fan of crime documentaries will be frustrated by the complete lack of examining the lazy police work that was done for this case. No actual crime scene established by any thorough evidence, supposedly large pieces of evidence were switched by the perpetrators but they left a lot of other things obviously scattered to be found, lost or mishandled or re-found evidence, the magic non-dissolving paper, the crime photographer who couldn't be bothered to take pictures....wow. I feel sorry for Spanish citizens if this is still typical of a case.
At best - it appears the police rushed to shut this case which led to a lot of incompetence and perhaps some evidence planting. And it also appears that this documentary will be about this sloppiness when during the second episode a victim's father begins to question the case.
But then it goes off the rails. The majority of this documentary is about the sensationalism of the Spanish media as well as people in it for their own personal benefit. So-and-so said this on a show and so-and-so said that on another show. Three episodes mainly caught up in wild conspiracy theories makes for a long and uneven documentary.
It does get extra points for not disrespecting the victims with gory details that many crime stories do. However, that probably was not due to an ethical choice by the filmmakers, they were too preoccupied by the media sensationalism as well as ironically getting themselves into the film for some screen time.
And the bizarre rah-rah last two minutes showing Me. Too seemed like a last minute add-on for a confused documentary crew that didn't know how to end this with any solid conclusion.
At best - it appears the police rushed to shut this case which led to a lot of incompetence and perhaps some evidence planting. And it also appears that this documentary will be about this sloppiness when during the second episode a victim's father begins to question the case.
But then it goes off the rails. The majority of this documentary is about the sensationalism of the Spanish media as well as people in it for their own personal benefit. So-and-so said this on a show and so-and-so said that on another show. Three episodes mainly caught up in wild conspiracy theories makes for a long and uneven documentary.
It does get extra points for not disrespecting the victims with gory details that many crime stories do. However, that probably was not due to an ethical choice by the filmmakers, they were too preoccupied by the media sensationalism as well as ironically getting themselves into the film for some screen time.
And the bizarre rah-rah last two minutes showing Me. Too seemed like a last minute add-on for a confused documentary crew that didn't know how to end this with any solid conclusion.
Worst documentary. Total waste of time.
ajus-508678 June 2021
It is a waste of time. Absolute garbage.
The entire case goes through so much confusion and reaches nowhere, absolutely nowhere. Plus the enormous amount of subtitles doesn't allow you to read and understand everything. Adding to the confusion is the going back and forth between years every 5 minutes.
The entire case goes through so much confusion and reaches nowhere, absolutely nowhere. Plus the enormous amount of subtitles doesn't allow you to read and understand everything. Adding to the confusion is the going back and forth between years every 5 minutes.
Not interesting
ingamazonaite19 July 2021
The case itself is very interesting, however, documentary is not.
There is chaos, there is too much information, there are not interesting conversations, there are too many people talking.
It's confusing.
Not recommend.
There is chaos, there is too much information, there are not interesting conversations, there are too many people talking.
It's confusing.
Not recommend.
Not only this is the worst documentary ever made. It also implies false allegations against Fernando García.
puncab17 June 2021
I am not going to talk about the quality of the documentary because I consider others at the discussion panel have made the job excellently.
I would like to refer to the innocence of Fernando García, who in the documentary is accused of fraud. Act that Mr García has repeatedly proven in court of being a false indictment - and the documentary has omitted deliberately.
I would like to refer to the innocence of Fernando García, who in the documentary is accused of fraud. Act that Mr García has repeatedly proven in court of being a false indictment - and the documentary has omitted deliberately.
Very chaotic
rickgorissen27 November 2021
Although the story is very interesting the series is utterly chaotic. Hard to follow, non-chronological presentation of events and it just seems that everything gets lost in translation. Would not recommend watching. There are way better murder documentaries on Netflix.
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