User reviews

Rosario and Alfonso report that their adopted Chinese daughter Asunta, 12, has vanished, a Police search begins, and her body is tragically found, her parents are suspected of conspiring in her death.

First off, I had no idea this was based on an actual case, it goes to some pretty dark and bleak places.

Let's be honest, this is a very, very watchable series, but please take my advice, watch it in its original, Spanish form, don't watch the English dubbed version, the voiceovers make it virtually unbearable, Rosario sounds as if she's in a constant state of surprise.

Once I switched it, it came to life, and I could truly appreciate the acting, especially the characterisation of Rosario, The Judge is such an interesting character, you'll wonder if he's right, or simply got an axe to grind, by episode 5, you'll have the answer.

Well paced and never dull, it doesn't lull at any point, one of those shows you'll want to binge watch over a night or two.

Episode five was the most surprising of all, I watched with my jaw open, it was the high point.

8/10.

This is an excellent series but it's hard to watch because one main character, the mother, is the stupidest woman I've ever encountered in fiction or real life. How anyone could have ever been attracted to her and then actually married her is beyond comprehension. Sometimes it was so painful to watch her whining and displays of cluelessness, I had to fast forward to the next scene. How would a woman like that ever qualifiy for an adoption? She is so idiotic and selfish you want to slap her until she begins to resemble a normal human being. But again, this is a well-made production with fine acting and direction.

Good acting. Everyone did good in acting their roles that I was almost convinced they were real people. Almost. The side stories of the lives of those involved in the investigation were added for the narrative flow but I think they weren't necessary at all. They didn't have anything to do with the case. Like Christina's fertility issue and the judge's father's situation. Those side stories, for me, were the reason why the documentary felt fictional. Because in real documentaries, no one shows the personal life of investigators involved in the case. I was quite hooked to the story but it was very upsetting in the end because I still feel like I wasted my time on an unresolved case. The parents were very suspicious, yes. But I still don't know what really happened and that is just so upsetting. I don't know if the kid was given justice or not.

I'm Spaniard so I really wanted to watch this mini series based on a true crime case. I love to support everything coming from my country. The cast is great, the crime was outrageous but the execution of this series is just so, so. It's just a copy paste of the original documentary and does not add anything new.

First, there is a memorable acting masterclass coming from the mother, that's all. Nothing else. I mean, it could have been a masterpiece but it is not. Several good actors in, so why not to make shine all of them?....

Second, the execution is mostly poor. The camera work is far from other great productions coming from Netflix. Locations are just ok. Nothing remarkable.

Third, the storyline and some of the invented fictional characters are terrible. They try to imitate "Galician accent" and it is embarrassing. Why not to hire real people from Galicia? For example, the great Luis Zahera is one of the most talented and loved ones in Spain. A big letdown.

Last, there are other great series based on Spaniard true crimes like "El cuerpo en llamas", "Antidisturbios" and "Crims" from Carles Porta. Far superior all of them and more accurate, realistic and interesting than this copy paste.

This series was hard to watch because it was done so well. It was excruciating watching any scene with the little girl, Asuna, in it. The actors were so believable it was as if you were watching the real non fiction case unfold. The couple made me sick so I had to fast forward through a couple of parts because I couldn't stomach it. If you like to watch sinister true crime style shows this will be a good fit. I had so many emotions. Disgust, anger, fear and anxiety before bed wasn't the best decision for restful sleep on my part. Still, I couldn't turn it off until the end. I'm a very difficult audience member to please. This one really makes an impression.

The English dubbing in this is terrible, it does spoil the show a little but I managed to get through it all and score it a 7 because beyond the dubbing you can see that the actor/ess are good and the story is interesting and chilling.

An adopted Chinese girl who appears to be very loved by her adoptive parents goes missing and is found murdered shortly after. One arrogant judge is convinced the parents have done it while another lawyer is convinced they did not hence starts a point / counter point investigation that may, for a short time, leave you doubting who did it, the show will clear that up mid way through and then you will have to watch the rest to see if justice for the girl is carried out

Verdict. Watchable not gripping but interesting.

Great true crimes series! And please you have to watch it in the original version with subtitles, otherwise it won't work at all.

With deep characters that generate a lot of interest, the cast is excellent!. The one who stands out above all of them is the wonderful and in Spain well-known actress Candela Peña, in the role of the unstable mother. It is is worth watching just to see her in the role of Rosario Porto. And of course I must also mention the role of Tristán Ulloa, really great in the role of the father, Alfonso Basterra.

The series does not invent anything and it is very well detailed, it is very intriguing and there is a lot of tension. Really gripping. This is a case that filled hours of discussions and that shocked Spanish society, the terrifying and tragic murder of Asunta. What really happened the night she disappeared?

The Judge Malvar, played by the great actor Javier Gutiérrez, is very obsessed with having the winning hand. Without caring if along the way he exposes those prosecuted to a process without all the guarantees. His attitude reaches the point that leads us to wonder if all judges are like that, and if victory and the desire to win are the only things that matter.

Another interesting thing is the media's role in this entire mess. Whether or not you believe the outcome of this case, we cannot deny the role of the media sensationalizing this horrible case, which, at its core, is of a young girl's tragic murder. It definitely makes you think and ask yourself whether the people who are supposed to protect and care for the general public really have our best interests in mind.

You shouldn't miss this one, with a sensational cast of actors, a true crime story told accurately and a tragic and powerful drama and mysterious thriller.

I thought this was a particularly well acted, well written script. The Spanish actors are all very seasoned, and really capture, from everything I can tell the essence of the real people who were involved in the situation.

Particularly the mother who plays Rosario, who does a remarkable job in portraying a confused, drama laden, scatterbrained, somewhat mentally unstable, overwrought, calculated, possible killer. Superb acting.

I think the way the story was laid out, woven together, was very effective. It's also an excellent view into the Spanish judicial system. We Americans often think our approach to justice in these cases, as much different than in Europe, so it's interesting to see their similarities.

I don't watch anything below 7.0, and gave this a 8.0 with the hopes it'll elevate the rating because I think this was very well crafted and solid piece that's won't waste your time.

I enjoyed the show, apparently based on a true story of which I had not heard.

The acting i thought was ok to good with lots of long drawn out scenes of staring, typical European style.

Trying to understand the police and legal investigations was very different to what happens in US or Australia, hard to get used to the heavy involvement in the investigations by the judge Malvar but that must be the Spanish system. Felt like it was a bit too drawn out though also.

But sadly the dubbing was dreadful, very American and the worst voices.... In particular the mother Charo's voice was really grating and almost off putting to be honest... whiny and childish voice.

This series kept me enthralled from beginning to end and I had to binge watch the entire show just to see what happened next as there were many twists and turns.

Javier Gutierrez is particularly good here ( I've seen him in several films recently but he excelled in this series), but to be fair, all the actors without exception are fantastic, especially the actors who played the parts of the parents .

There is enough back story to make the police and even jury members realistic. There is also the backdrop of the beautiful Galician landscapes.

This was a real life tragic case but I feel it was sensitively interpreted by the directors and cast.

My wife and I are expat Britons now retired and living in Spain and we like to occasionally watch a Spanish-made drama, obviously with the subtitles on. This six-part dramatisation of an infamous murder case in the north of Spain some thirty years ago caught our attention although we made the mistake of mentioning it to our native Spanish neighbours who then proceeded to unwittingly blurt our the who in the whodunit of the murder of an early-teenage girl of Asian extraction, the adopted child of a middle aged Spanish couple who we learn very quickly are in maital crisis.

The narrative adopts that very modern and for me sometime confusing and somewhat irritating technique of going back and forth in time at will, playing out potential resolutions in the process. The couple themselves appear to be the only suspects, even if a motive either way seems difficult to fathom, as neither of their respective stories on the night of the murder seem to quite add up. The husband we are told early on is impotent and lives in a separate flat from his wife but not very far away from her. The mother, meanwhile, has custody of Asunta but is having a passionate affair with a married man who clearly has no intention of leaving his wife and family for her. Heartbroken at this, she drifts back to her welcoming husband but it's clear there is still tension in the air between them.

After Asunta is murdered, they're exhaustively pursued by a male-female cop team and above them, a determined chief prosecutor who has family issues of his own. It turns out the husband has some unsavoury images of his adopted daughter on his phone and computer meaning that both husband and wife have sordid secrets hidden from each other.

It all resolves itself in the final episode at the tense courtroom trial but even after that, the end titles disclose more revelations which in different ways only add to the mystery at the heart of this tragedy.

In watching some Spanish-made dramas in recent years, I've not always considered the production, direction and acting quality to be to my taste but this time I was much more impressed. The tale is told in a compressed and taut way, almost putting the viewer in the shoes of the investigators as they forensically examine the mostly circumstancial evidence and behavior of the suspects themselves. I also appreciated the acting of the cast especially Javier Gutiérrez as the determined prosecutor and Tristan Ullóa and Candice Peña as the did-they-or-didnt-they parents.

All in all, an engrossing if at times attritional drama series well worth looking out whether you speak Spanish or not.

Loved every second of the TV show and the characters are very credible in their acting.

This serie is an almost non-stop thriller where the truth comes out near the end.

It just kept me enthralled from beginning to end and I had to watch the entire show just to see what happened next as there were many twists and turns.

It has very deep characters that generate a lot of interest, the cast is excellent!.

I just loved the story and how it evolves. Even though the real story is pretty sad at the end it gives you the sensation of wanting to know more, why this happened and how they were in real life. Definitely worth watching.

There were too many details that kept the attention rather boring with time clarifying the murder case of the young Asunta. There were at least two or three chapters that could have been saved. The facts came too long stretched and sometimes even tortured. But one actress did a wonderful job who should have won the Oscar for best foreign actress and she was Candela Peña. What a performance from her who saved really these episodes. It's all based on a true story but it was really too extended just to tell in a few seconds the main reason why the adopted daughter had to die. For all these reasons it gets 6/10.

This is one of the few Spanish-language shows I chose to watch because the content seemed compelling. The acting is generally good and the real-life story is curious, but the way it's told is long and tedious. Not much depth to the direction, just seems like they're trying to create constant suspense when it's not really needed. The story itself is enough, but the direction focused too much on the principal actors. Yet, I've chosen to watch the whole series!

Do I recommend watching it? I don't say to avoid it but know that it may just put you to sleep instead of keep you on the edge of your seat.

One of the best series ever. Don't wanna give a spoiler. Story is true. Actors are perfect. I couldn't stop thinking about it for days. Don't even think not to watch. Rate is really low, and deserves 10/10. You will watch it without catching a breath. In one day. And will stay in silence for hours. Without pause. I must say that Spain has such a great entertainment for years now. They are beyond everyone lately. La casa de Papel showed us truly face of Spain actors scene. I'm so glad for them and us who can watch over over theirs masterpieces. Much love from Serbia, can't wait to watch something else.

The Asunta Case had me on the edge of my seat through every episode. This highly talented cast, in culmination with excellent writing, makes this show stand out above the rest. Even with factual evidence and revelations through the show, you can't help but question your reality at every turn. Just when you think you have made up your mind, you are met with new jarring information that brings you back to square one.

Candela Peña was the highlight for acting in the role of Rosario Porto, with her deteriorating mental health and desperation leaving you feeling unsettled, empathetic, and even forgiving.

Tristán Ulloa similarly suits his role as Alfonso Basterra as a quiet and intelligent man who carefully conceals his inner turmoil until it bursts out at times of immense pressure.

It is unfortunate that the show seems to unravel more doubt and loose ends as it progresses, and certain plot holes leave you feeling a sense of confusion and dissatisfaction when the credits roll at the end.

With language barriers, time jumps and contradicting scenes, you may feel like this show is difficult to keep track of. I would have liked to see more continuity between timelines so the story was a bit easier to follow; If certain elements of the case are uncovered that could change everything, those plot lines need conclusive resolutions for the story to be digestible.

The Asunta Case is a psychological rollercoaster that stands as a reminder that being on a jury for a trial such as this one is no envious task. The investigation is fraught with mistakes, potential corruption, leaked information and improper judicial procedures that make you wonder how the case concluded without argument for a mistrial.

I want to add that I went into this show with zero background knowledge on the real Asunta Case, offering the show 100% of my attention and mental direction. Knowing the fate of the parents or the story beforehand may spoil some of the unsettling feelings the show intends to portray in each episode, so I encourage watchers to go in as blind as possible.

As I watched each episode, I couldn't help but feel that the level of storytelling, acting and writing is a Spanish equivalent to Breaking Bad. That being said, one season is not enough. A second season would allow the writers more liberty in tying up loose ends, and the story has ample room for growth, whether it be based on the true story or not. I hope a second season would allow the writers the liberty to answer the unanswered .

My final rating for this series is 8/10 with plot holes being the biggest impact on score. Despite this, the show, and especially the acting, is worthy of praise as a Spanish classic.