by John Zenoni
Well, I've watched the latest in Netflix’s entry in the true crime genre and I have to say I'm torn as to whether I liked it or not. The series is ‘Elize Matsunaga: Once Upon a Crime’, about a former nurse who is charged with murdering and dismembering her wealthy husband -- in a fit of passion, as her defense presented during her trial. What's most interesting about this docuseries is that Elize is interviewed for the first time since being sentenced to prison in 2016 and she recounts her story as to what happened.
The story and trial was one of the biggest in Brazil’s history, with people completely fixated on the crime of the young, blonde lady who murders her wealthy husband. As you watch the episodes, there are 4, with each one you learn more about Elize’s background and what a hard life she had growing up as well as get insight into what she chose to become later on (profession-wise) and how she met her future husband, Marcos Matsunaga, and why she killed him in 2012.
While the story of course was intriguing, the reason I'm torn is because I can't decide if the director and those interviewed are trying to get us to emphasize with Elize and feel sorry for her or to look at her as a person with a mental health issue that should have been institutionalized, as her husband had supposedly threatened to do. The first 2-3 episodes lean towards proving her guilt, while focusing on how Marcos was nothing but an abusive playboy husband who had multiple affairs with escorts, which is ironically how he met Elize. Those who participated in the trial - prosecutor, defense attorney, reporters, etc. - all give the impression that she's absolutely guilty and should pay for her crime but then later on they appear to be ok with her yearly furlough and the fact that she's been charged, sentenced and is paying her dues. At least this is the impression that I was left with. I mean, yes, she did have some bad things happen to her but this woman shot and killed her husband, dismembered him and carried his body parts out of their condo in luggage and dumped them in the woods!
Anyway, the last half hour does bring up some very good points about the significance of this crime, how much attention it would have gotten had the roles been reversed, or if the victim had been of a different race or class. It definitely leaves you with a lot to think about.
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