The Lady of Silence: The Mataviejitas Murders – Netflix Review (4/5)

THE LADY OF SILENCE: THE MATAVIEJITAS MURDERS on Netflix is a new true-crime documentary from Mexico. The original title is La dama del silencio: El caso de la Mataviejitas. Read our full documentary review here!

THE LADY OF SILENCE: THE MATAVIEJITAS MURDERS is new Netflix documentary from Mexico. The runtime is 1 hour and 51 minutes and it’s very well utilized. The true-crime case is about a serial killer who strangles so many elderly women in Mexico.

The murders happened between 1998 and 2006. Naturally, the murders of elderly women in Mexico City trigger an intense hunt for the serial killer. What makes this Netflix documentary so amazing is that it takes a critical look at all aspects of the case.

Continue reading our The Lady of Silence: The Mataviejitas Murders review below. Find the documentary on Netflix from July 27, 2023.

The first serial killer in Mexico?

Ver importantly, there’s a solid focus on both the victims, the falsely accused, and, especially, the role of the press and the police during the hunt for a serial killer.

Actually, the Mexican authorities make a point out of saying that this is the “first serial killer” in Mexico. Honestly, I feel like we’ve heard that line before. It’s sort of like when someone representing a country claims that it has no LGBTQ+ people.

More than likely, they just aren’t aware of any other serial killers and haven’t “connected the dots” or, you know, murders.

However, the many murders of elderly women do seem to be connected. All are strangled and it never looks like anyone forced their way in. All available resources (and then some!) are dedicated to finding the killer.

In fact, before finding the serial killer, they even manage to accuse (and convict) two other people. And yes, the documentary does follow up on the fate of those two individuals as well. The fate of both is tragic!

There is also a focus on the fact that an extreme number of murdered young women go largely ignored and unsolved. Something that is in stark contrast to the investigation into the Mataviejitas murders.

Was La Dama del Silencio ever a wrestler?

After having chased after many false leads, and treated people disgustingly in the process, the serial killer is finally caught. When the police catch the serial killer it’s with the help of citizens reacting and almost catching her in the act.

She turns out to be Juana Barraza who was a former professional wrestler or “luchadora”. She went by the name “The Lady of Silence” or “La Dama del Silencio”.

Except, it may turn out that she wasn’t as much a professional wrestler as she was a fan of the sport and liked to pretend like she was a wrestler herself. You’ll see in the documentary! Everything is such a mystery and the plot thickens constantly.

Watch The Lady of Silence: The Mataviejitas Murders on Netflix now!

The director of The Lady of Silence: The Mataviejitas Murders is María José Cuevas. The producers of this new Netflix documentary previously made The Three Deaths of Marisela Escobedo. This is also a Netflix production and one very much worth watching.

DO CHECK OUT

Our review of  The Three Deaths of Marisela Escobedo on Netflix here >

I found this Netflix true-crime documentary to be one of the better I’ve watched in quite some time. The focus on the victims, and how they are largely forgotten by the media and authorities once the serial killer was caught, is so important.

So is shining a huge spotlight on the appalling methods of both the press and police. Including those used as scapegoats who become victims themselves. A bold and honest look at all aspects of this case, which has been dubbed the first serial killer in Mexico.

However, “The Lady of Silence” Juana Barraza has only been convicted of a fraction of the murders on elderly women in Mexico City. So what about the rest? Well, this appears to be of less importance after the capture of La Dama del Silencio. Yet another sign of a very corrupt and incomplete system at work.

The Lady of Silence: The Mataviejitas Murders is on Netflix from July 27, 2023.