Creative: Laura Sarmiento
Address: Jorge Torregrossa, Laura Mana
Distribution: Ursula Corberó, Quim Gutiérrez, José Manuel Poga, Isak Ferriz
Country: Spain
Duration: 50 minutes approx. (8 episodes)
Year: 2023
Gender: Drama/Thriller
Premiere: September 8, 2023 (Netflix)
★★★★
HE Horrible City Guard Crime This film, in which a man and a woman, a Barcelona police officer and their lovers, are convicted of the malicious murder of a colleague who is a former official couple, is intelligence and comprehensively detailed in a 4-part monograph by the ‘Crimes’ team. 2021. Any new audiovisual approach to the same situation will necessarily suffer when compared to this latest television milestone.
But basically the same as the respected series ‘Intimacy’, in which social issues are handled from the perspective of suspense and revenge porn and in which intrigue is an important part, the team of ‘The Body on Fire’ managed to create a new series. Engaging dramatization of this twisted storyline. Although the most iconic details of the story come to light, this is more of an intense ‘thriller’, sometimes almost fantasy or horror film, based on true events amid the threads of an intensely toxic love affair, rather than a solid documentary drama. lies, police and domestic violence.
It is clear from the end of the first chapter that this will not be another ‘who’ or ‘who did it’ example. Mossos’ plot and research serve as the structure and catalyst for the story, respectively, but they are not the heart of the proposal. ‘The fiery corpse’ draws attention first and foremost as a portrait of the characters; begins with Rosa Peral, who is here constructed as a complex anti-hero, a hieroglyph that is hard to explain: cop, mother, murderer; sometimes cold and artificial, sometimes fiery; ostensibly the executioner but also Victim of a sexist socio-work environment where women with desires are not forgivenas it is usually done to men. Corberó is up for this challenge and carries the series behind him with strong uncertainty.
However, we should not underestimate his remarkable work. Quim Gutiérrez is presented as Albert López here in the epic ‘Braveheart’ as a purely physical, overly masculine man, mixed martial arts lover and reference film. Share with Rosa a unique intimate space dominated by sexual passion and it is also a phenomenon marked by common affinities such as provocation, speed or questioning social boundaries.
Both documentary and fictionalized ‘true crime’ are often accused of constructing a mythology about murderers while ignoring the plight of the victims or their families. The ‘corpse on fire’ draws attention to these secondary assumptions from the very beginning (José Manuel Poga marks the slain), including the descendants of Rosa, represented here by little Sofia, who is also Guiomar Caiado. excellent naturalness and curious appearance. In this sense, or the intersection of reality with near-fantastic epidemics, ‘The corpse on fire’ can be associated with ‘The Girl from Plainville’, a justifiable landmark in the fictional ‘true crime’.
As director, Jorge Torregrossa (relaxed by Laura Mañá in the middle part) proposes a style of quiet restlessness that is rarely defined by television compositions in which the ‘voyeuristic’ state of the viewer is sometimes explored. Whenever there is a need to add a text message (many of which are important in this story), the actor reads it in front of the camera. Various strategies that seem to be targeted putting ourselves on constant alertDon’t let us believe this is eight hours of more content to swallow effortlessly.
Adding to this discomfort/enchantment is the music of Aitor Etxebarria, who has the weathered violins of Trevor Gureckis in ‘Servant’ and the synth arpeggios expected of any Nicolas Winding Refn project. It is more controversial that almost every section ends with a classic example of a Spanish melodic song (Massiel, Sergio y Estíbaliz, Rocío Jurado), without leaving the musical part: It doesn’t fit the general atmosphere of the show or the aesthetics of the characters.. For putting in some but not leaving everything in logical flattery.