Dévoré par les flammes

Now streaming on Netflix (released on 8th September 2023), this limited series, primarily in Spanish, delves into a harrowing tale inspired by true events. I opted for the English-dubbed version, providing a more familiar auditory experience.

At the heart of the story lies the brutal murder of a police officer, burned beyond recognition. Suspicion quickly narrows down to two other agents intricately connected to the deceased: his girlfriend and her secret lover. What unfolds is an intricate web of relationships, motives, and dark secrets, further emphasized by the real-life recordings featured in "Rosa Peral's Tapes", which Netflix has made available concurrently.

Úrsula Corberó, whom many might recognize as Tokyo from the hit series "Money Heist" (2017-21), takes center stage, portraying Rosa Peral. Her performance is stellar; she excels in capturing the essence of a character battling internal tumult. Her controlled demeanor and ability to convey raw emotion without overt theatrics only amplify the suspense. Admittedly, it was her reputation from "Money Heist" that drew me to "Burning Body" in the first place.

Though the pacing is deliberate, every scene drips with tension. Every character is masterfully fleshed out, carrying layers of depth and mystery. The meticulously crafted storyline, paired with a contemplative ending, solidifies "Burning Body" as a gem within the 'Dark Crime Thriller' genre. The fact that this tale mirrors real-life events only adds to its allure.

Despite its merits, I did find the series occasionally languid, docking a star for the same. However, for those with a penchant for gripping narratives and real-life mysteries, "Burning Body" is an absolute must-watch.

I didn't know that this was based a real case before I started to watch it. Approached as pure drama it is a magnificent piece of work. Very well written - the twists and turns of the story unfold gradually as the viewer is taken through the facts and fictions of the case, and perceptions of the characters change as their actual actions are revealed. The acting is very good too. The two leads - both sultry, hot and erotic - add some sexual charge to the drama, which underlies the entire case: Two people who find it difficult to keep their hands off each other. How close this is to the actual case, I do not know. But as drama it worked very well indeed.

I am Catalan/Spaniard so I was expecting this mini series because I knew about this terrible crime/story. To be honest, the cast and direction here does an excellent job. Almost everything is great except for the crime.

First, the story is around 80% true so it is important to know that this crime had happened almost identical as the producers here want to explain.

Second, I have enjoyed the settings. Real and pretty similar to real life. I appreciate they used real locations and places where they used to move.

Last, there is something I don't really liked here. The music. It does not really fit well here. Forced, and nothing to do with the story. There was one time were I had to turn the volume down.

Anyway, nothing is perfect. But this mini series is great and I recommend to everyone who love inspired on true events, crime fiction. Enjoy!

... Ursula Corbero a-real-deal-star ... acts the hell out of this very-well-done-production.. impossible taking eyes off her when she's onscreen, dominates every scene she's in... entire cast is truly exceptional.. this one of the finest productions not just from Spain, but from world-over

... when portraying a character that's a horrible individual, doing it as well as Corbero does, it's a testament to her consummate abilities as a really-great-actor... Netflix has a huge winner here, one of the finest on its current roster, it should remain on top for quite some time, and will be hard matching.. bravo-Netflix

... 6h 43min... give yourself time,.. you'll be hard pressed to stop watching straight through.

If you know the details of the story, it's just not very entertaining. Perhaps because I just watched the documentary series, that this dramatic retelling feels redundant. With nothing especially gripping about either the story telling, the acting, or the level of suspense, I got bored with it quickly. It seemed to drag on and on. They could have done this in a 90 minute movie.

This is an interesting case, and the documentary series is very good, I highly recommend it. I probably would have liked this dramatic series more if I hadn't known the details of the case going into it. Instead, I wanted it to be over after about 3 episodes, just to get to the end.