Rosa Peral’s Tapes 2023 Movie Review
The Netflix original Spanish documentary Las Cintas de Rosa Peral or Rosa Peral’s Tapes revolves around the chilling murder case of Pedro Rodríguez, a police officer in the Barcelona Police Department. Pedro’s murder case caused a significant stir, after his colleague and partner, Rosa Peral, along with her former boyfriend, Albert Lopez, were convicted of his murder. However, they had consistently pointed the finger at each other since their arrest. Now, for the first time, Rosa Peral has broken her silence by agreeing to give a revealing interview to the documentary makers, shedding light on her side of the story in a desperate bid to prove her innocence. Yet, as the investigation unfolds, the conflicting evidence only serves to deepen the mystery surrounding this perplexing case. It leaves many questions unanswered about Rosa’s involvement and the true events that led to Pedro’s tragic end.
Rosa Peral, a police officer and mother of two daughters, was convicted of the murder of her partner, Pedro Rodríguez, in 2017. While the initial investigation suggested the possibility of a premeditated murder plan, in which Rosa’s former lover, Albert López, was also implicated, the case took a truly perplexing turn after their arrest. During the trial, Albert pointed the finger squarely at Rosa, claiming she had masterminded the crime. In stark contrast, Rosa maintained her innocence and insisted that it was Albert who had committed the murder. Rosa’s defense took a shocking turn when she revealed her reason for not reporting Pedro’s murder immediately. She explained that Albert had threatened her and even her daughters; Therefore, she maintained silence during the time, only to protect her daughters from Albert. However, despite her emotional plea, the jury didn’t find her statement credible and sentenced her to 25 years in prison. Now, in this gripping Netflix documentary, we finally get to hear the other side of the story, which was a tale of love, betrayal, and a desperate mother’s fight for justice.
During Rosa Peral’s trial, it became painfully clear that the prosecution was hellbent on portraying her as a person of questionable character. They seemed determined to paint her as someone who was not to be trusted, and their tactics took an unsettling turn. Suddenly, the courtroom and the media began to focus on Rosa’s personal and sexual history with other men, something completely unrelated to the case at hand. It was an unnecessary and highly unethical move by the prosecution. We saw some of the journalists play a part in demonizing her character, depicting her as some sort of evil seductress who could manipulate people with her charm. Their attention was more on Rosa’s personal life than the actual evidence connecting her with the case. It made the documentary uncomfortable to watch at times.
However, there were several Moments that raised suspicion. There were missed calls and encounters between Rosa and Albert right before Pedro’s tragic murder, and even Rosa’s weird decision to follow Albert to the forest instead of reporting the event to the police. Rosa, however, claimed she didn’t immediately report these incidents because, as a police officer, her instinct was to investigate matters herself. Yet, this decision to look into things on her own rather than reporting them seemed to be what landed her in hot water. It created doubts and gave the prosecution the opportunity to suggest that she might have played a role in the crime. So, while the focus on Rosa’s personal life was certainly unsettling, these puzzling events around the case couldn’t be ignored.
Rosa explained that her actions during those moments were the result of a profound sense of fear. Fear can be an incredibly powerful and unavoidable emotion, one that can mess with even the most logical minds. In Rosa’s case, she claimed to be overwhelmed by an insurmountable fear that Albert could harm not only her, but also her daughters and even her parents. In Rosa’s mind, her priority was to protect her loved ones, and that fear led her to behave in ways that, to an outsider, might not make sense. This is a crucial aspect of human psychology that we cannot easily judge.
However, one undeniable fact remains. As a police officer, Rosa had a responsibility to uphold the law and protect lives, including Pedro’s. When she realized that Pedro’s life was in danger, it would have been more logical for her to contact the precinct for assistance so she didn’t have something to hide under the rug. Her discretion and delay in taking action during those critical moments raise legitimate questions about her involvement in Pedro’s death. As more and more information emerges, the case becomes increasingly complex and is far from reaching a clear and definitive conclusion.
The documentary brings to light a deeply concerning aspect of how media involvement in a crime case can distort the truth for its own gain. The power of the media to manipulate our minds and shape public opinion with just a few headlines is truly concerning, and in this case, it took a particularly disturbing turn. Rosa Peral found herself the target of relentless attacks related to her personal life, specifically her relationships with several men. It’s disheartening to see how these aspects of her personal life were exploited and sensationalized while hardly anyone paid any interest to Albert’s sexual history.
The Netflix documentary isn’t encouraging infidelity or promoting criminal behavior. Instead, it aims to highlight the undeniable inequality that exists even among those accused of crimes and their treatment by the media and society. If Rosa’s sexual history and her relationships were considered important to the case, then equal attention should have been given to Albert’s. The unfairness in this regard was frustrating to witness throughout the documentary, and at times, it felt like the focus of the case was more about proving Rosa to be a person of bad character than establishing her guilt or innocence as a perpetrator or collaborator in the crime. This inequity in how individuals are portrayed and judged based on their gender is a stark reminder of the biases that exist within our society. This Netflix documentary is more than just an information dump; it’s a powerful commentary on the broader issue of how the media promote unfair stereotypes and contribute to the unequal treatment of individuals within the criminal justice system.
