The Lady of Silence: The Mataviejitas Murders (2023) Netflix Documentary Review

There have been some interesting documentaries lately that have come to Netflix. This one surrounds a true crime case from Mexico that involves their first serial killer. The lady of Silence, it’s certainly mysterious and even intriguing, but can the documentary provide enough detail to make this worthwhile? In 2000, a number of murders has the capital police of Mexico City at a stalemate. Older, ladies, are being strangled in their own homes, and the victim’s profiles are causing never-before-seen social outrage and media coverage, while the Attorney General’s office is employing all its resources and efforts to capture Mexico’s first serial killer.

Now I’ve never heard of this case, and I found that probably the most interesting part of this is that it apparently wasn’t until 2000 that Mexico got its first serial killer and then, in an even stranger turn of events. The killer turned out to be a woman which is also unusual. Juana barafa was very prolific in her crimes, horrifying the public because of how she exclusively targeted old women who are typically living alone and then very vulnerable. She also did didn’t typically force her way into a space, but instead work to gain trust and access before then strangling our victims. Now it’s crazy to hear the details recounted and it almost seems like the events were playing out much longer than 20ish years ago.

I mean the cops in the legal system they weren’t working efficiently and at times it appeared that they were just plain lazy when it came to tracking down Clues and suspects. Tons of assumptions are shown to be made which then led to numerous false arrests and time wasted. There’S one time when the police assumed that this suspect is a sex worker, so they round up a ton of people arrest them only to then fingerprint them and when they didn’t match any of the prints left behind by the killer. Those arrested were set free, and this created a ton of apprehension and mistrust for the police, not only for the sex workers, but really the community as a whole, because it looks like the police are just grasping at any idea. They can to try and appease the community who was growing and impatience and fear.

There are a lot of interviews with former and current law enforcement, judicial staff prosecutor years, as well as Witnesses and family members of victims, and these help to not only paint vivid pictures of all that transpired, but also show what ideas finally led to the circumstances that Helped in the apprehension of the suspect, the interviews are also very emotional, especially when family and friends are interviewed, as they relive the horrors of discovering that their loved ones were killed and then, through the immense amount of time that it took to actually catch the burp. Now the film also gives us a lot of crime scene photos and thankfully they’re not too gory or detailed, but they usually are up close so that we can see certain elements and clues. Now it’s haunting and disturbing to see how many victims there actually were and despite a plethora of photo sketches, there was never enough evidence or even facial detail that worked to identify the killer. Now after she was caught, though, it’s really easy to see the resemblance that she has to many of the sketches. I mean she was just effective at blending in and changing her appearance to avoid capture.

I appreciate that the documentary also takes the time to focus a little on the other, large-scale crime that were occurring in Mexico. At the time, young women were going missing and there was Zero media coverage, even when the lady of Silence was committing her crimes. I mean one overshadowed the other, especially when the mindset surrounding the disappearances of those younger women was that it was likely that they were to blame because of the way they dressed or where they were. I mean the documentary doesn’t take an overwhelming time to focus on this, but it is interesting that the dichotomy that existed within the media concerning the status of all the victims now this can feel a little slow at moments because it is on the longer side. It’S just short of two hours, but I liked having a movie rather than a series for this, because then the narrative just isn’t broken up and probably the most frustrating part about the entire documentary.

And it’s not even the filmmaker’s fault at all. But we don’t get all of the details from the killer on her motives. She changes her stories constantly admitting to some, but then denying others and then denying the one she confessed to so it becomes a confusing and frustrating mess for the police. Now my brain wants to know why she did what she did and also why she chose to Target elderly women. Now we do get one possible explanation, but I found it hard to buy because it felt like the victims would have been just older men versus older women if it had gone that way, either way, though it’s a tragedy, but also a good insight into law enforcement And investigation practices in other countries now I did find it a little funny that, as Mexico investigators are struggling to figure out how to investigate a serial killer since they’ve never had one before that they reached out to a European country for assistance rather than just looking Up a bit north to talk to the U.

officials who have had way more than their fair share of serial killers, I mean we produce a ton of them for some disgusting reason, but Mexico officials, they just decided to try other experts instead. Now, overall, the lady of silence is engaging and informative, along with being disturbing and sad, the cases in intriguing to look at from an investigational perspective, showing ineffectiveness and ignorance as well as good problem solving and a willingness to reach outside for assistance. The Narrative can be a little slow at times, but the interviews are heartbreaking and captivating continuing to not lose sight of the victims and their loved ones affected by these heinous crimes. There’S no sex, maybe a little nudity, some profanity and some very violent imagery. As a reminder, I don’t give couch ratings to documentaries, but I do recommend checking out the lady of Silence on Netflix, especially if you’re into True Crime.

So what are you binging right now anything good that you can recommend. Let me know in the comments below.