Common Sense Media Review
By Jenny Nixon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Spanish true-crime drama focuses on sex and murder.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Burning Body
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
BURNING BODY is a Spanish true-crime series inspired by real-life events that took place in 2017 among a group of police officers in Barcelona, when Rosa Peral and her coworker/lover Albert Lopez (Quim Gutierréz) conspired to kill Rosa's boyfriend, Pedro Rodriquez (José Manuel Poga). The miniseries starts off with the crime being discovered, then spends eight episodes digging into the backstory -- a melodramatic tale full of secret affairs, tense custody battles, police corruption, media spectacle, and courtroom intrigue.
Is It Any Good?
Opening with a scene of a car on fire, a charred body later found in its trunk, we quickly discover who is behind this murder -- but even over eight episodes, the series never makes us understand why. Instead, Burning Body goes straight for sensationalism, painting its protagonist Rosa (Úrsula Corberó, Money Heist) as a villainous femme fatale with an unexamined drive to run through lovers and fight with her ex-husband. Corberó does a terrific job being the most interesting person onscreen throughout, but the series itself could have been so much more.
Though the creators touch on some of the issues Rosa faced working in a mostly male environment, there's a missed opportunity to fully analyze how things could have gotten to this dire point in her mind, and also to dissect the way that patriarchal biases inherent in media and courtrooms can color the treatment of women who have committed crimes. This isn't to say they should have excused or glossed over a truly heinous act, for which Peral is currently serving 25 years. But if you're going to fictionalize an already-lurid story, why not delve deeper into the internal lives and emotions of the participants, rather than focusing on mere titillation?
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the liberties TV show creators can take when dramatizing true crime stories. Do you think this approach is exploitative in any way? Do you prefer seeing documentaries about true crimes, or a fictionalized version of these events, and why?
There's actual court, and there's the "court of public opinion." How can the choices someone makes in their personal life -- specifically their romantic life -- affect how others view them when it's time to make a judgment about something they've done wrong? Do you think Rosa's choices helped or hurt her case once she was put on trial, and why?
TV Details
- Premiere date : September 8, 2023
- Cast : Ursula Corbero , Quim Gutierrez , Isak Férriz
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Drama
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 25, 2023
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