One thing well known is that Argentina is a country that has a high crime rate and although there are many cases, Nahir's case was one of the few that managed to reach a high level of relevance, demonstrating that if a tragedy achieves be attractive enough, you can earn profit from it. Because it was the first time that a 19-year-old girl has been sentenced to life in prison, it was inevitable that it could become a media business and lead to the creation of a film.
Amazon Prime's Nahir has resurrected this case that she could have been forgotten about, but because of how profitable it is, it is not easy to leave it aside. The film has aroused uncomfortable reactions and although it gives the impression that it makes Nahir look like a victim, the truth is that the film has its successes. It takes the most known and basic elements of the case and tries to create a story with what is known about the case. It does not leave aside Nahir's three different statements that are her official confession, Federico's accusation and Marcelo Galarza's incrimination. In these aspects the film manages to portrait the case although it has some gaps that needed to be filled. It would have been helpful to have explored the relationship between Nahir and Federico more, but that did not seem to be possible due to how little is known about their relationship. Valentina Zenere is perfect as Nahir and to a large extent she knew how to reflect the coldness of the real Nahir. She would be the only one of note, as most of the cast's performances are flat or lacking in emotion.
The story is told from Nahir's perspective using a formula almost similar to that of the Jeffrey Dahmer series and the Joker film. When a story is told from the perspective of a murderer, it serves to understand his psychology and to make it clear that even the most deranged murderers are still human beings. The negative reaction to the film is because of the way it humanizes Nahir, but that's because it's much easier to see a criminal as a monster and dehumanize him. Many times in these types of cases no one except experts in criminal psychology take the trouble to further explore an individual guilty of a criminal act. Many only see things in black and white where people are divided between innocent and guilty, but the reality is that there is no such thing as innocent people. Always wishing the worst for someone like Nahir does not make you a better person, it certainly makes you just as inhuman and in that aspect you are not innocent either. We all have some history that at some point has to be paid, even if the price is the lives of our own children. Although many say that Federico and Nahir should have separated as if it were something easy, the truth is that in youth it is difficult to break away from a strong emotional bond. Sometimes the only way to break that bond is to take drastic measures. The case has its complex side more due to the fact that Argentina has a large number of cases where the victims are women and the perpetrators are men. When the case is the other way around, it is easier to treat the female with more respect when it should not be that way. That is the failure of the Argentine justice system because the reality is that violence has no gender, as Federico's father once declared. In that aspect, gender violence does not really exist.
Many of Federico's acquaintances maintain that Nahir should be punished, but the young woman's mother thinks otherwise. It is not unusual for the mother to continue defending her because obviously that is what mothers do, they defend their children until the end. That does not make her different from Federico's parents because for a mother the life of a child is worth a lot. If Nahir's opponents consider that the girl's life should not be respected, then Federico's life should also mean nothing. Just as they say that Nahir's case should not be popular, Federico's death should also be insignificant. The valid point here would be that Nahir's sentence and Federico's death should not be important because it is just another case and the young man is just another dead person. Taking into account how Nahir is currently in prison, it is clear that she has somehow managed to get away with it. The fame she has received thanks to the media and the good treatment she is receiving in prison make the case have a rather bittersweet ending. We must not forget that Nahir also has her own followers because even figures like Jeffrey Dahmer have their own fans.
As for the film, the final verdict is that it is a decent dramatization of the real case despite its holes. Whether it is something created to continue making money through a tragedy, since the life of a human being is worth the same as the life of an insect, the truth is that this proves that the case of Nahir Galarza has already become something close to an urban legend and so it will prevail until time decides its future. For our current society, being a figure of this kind is now a prestige and the possibility of Nahir obtaining his freedom in the future is not ruled out, thus concluding another popular event in modern Argentine history. My final rating for this movie is a 7/10.
