A subset of soccer’s most ego-driven, apparently masculine, fans might get offended by the latest Netflix documentary An Invisible Victim: The Eliza Samudio Case. The documentary clearly attacks a culture where male soccer superstars are treated as gods who can get away with anything, including violence against women. It is of course based on the infamous Eliza Samudio case, which led to Brazilian goalkeeper Bruno ending up in jail for planning and orchestrating the woman’s murder. We’re going to look into what the documentary provides us before sharing our thoughts about it.
What Happens in the Documentary?
An Invisible Victim lets us know that the producers have managed to acquire Eliza Samudio’s personal laptop, which was understandably confiscated by the Brazilian police during the investigation. That obviously validates the authenticity of what you see in the documentary. Like how most true crime documentaries work, you’re first introduced to the victim—Eliza in this case. She was this young, vivacious woman whose life was cut short tragically because she fell for the wrong guy. The guy here is then Brazilian soccer sensation, Flamengo goalie Bruno. Bruno was already married when he met Eliza, but that didn’t stop him from getting into a relationship with her without letting her know about his marriage. It didn’t take long for her to become pregnant. But when she claimed Bruno was the father of her unborn child, the goalkeeper started denying ever having been in a relationship with her and accused her of being a gold digger. His devoted fans also started verbally attacking Eliza and made her life a living hell, because how dare she speak evil against their favorite soccer star?
Through the narration of Eliza’s father Luis, mother Fatima (who left her when she was a child but came back into her life later), extended family, and friends, we get a clear picture of who Eliza was. It’s quite ironic that Eliza also used to play football, and that she wanted to become a goalkeeper as well. A young Eliza dreamt of becoming a celebrated soccer star and getting rich. Sadly, her destiny didn’t allow that, as she ended up in the adult film industry. That was for a brief period, though. Much after that, she met this young hotshot goalie at a party. The attraction was instant. Her playing the game in the past, that too in the same position, further helped cement it. The romance was inevitable. But so was the falling out after that.
What Was Eliza’s Allegation Against Bruno?
For starters, Bruno denied the paternity of Eliza’s child. Her claim was also dismissed by most of the media and a large number of soccer fans. In fact, some people made her feel like it was her fault alone. Some others accused her of trying to get fifteen minutes of fame by defaming the soccer star. Bruno himself threatened her by telling her he would ruin her, along with her family and friends. A scared Eliza went into sort of an isolation. Once her son was born, though, Bruno contacted her again, this time with an olive branch. Not only did he acknowledge his son, he also wanted to take care of Eliza. She was happy about it, as she was still in love with the goalkeeper after all. Little did Eliza know that she was actually falling into a trap.
Did Bruno Really Kill Eliza?
Here’s what happened as per what we saw in An Invisible Victim. Eliza was practically kidnapped by Bruno’s right-hand man and best friend Macarrao and a few other people in his circle. She was then taken to Bruno’s farm. Strangely enough, Bruno’s ex-wife, Dayanne, was also there, along with a few people. They all knew what was going on. From the farm, Eliza was taken to Belo Horizonte, where this guy, Bola, strangled her to death. What’s even worse was the same group of people practically abandoned Eliza’s infant son. Thankfully, the baby was rescued and taken to his grandfather, Luiz. Later, Eliza’s mother, Fatima, got custody as Luiz was not exactly a good example, given he was fighting a rape charge against him.
The investigation led to Bruno and a bunch of people getting arrested. He kept claiming Eliza disappeared and left her son in his care. The ex-wife, Dayanne, even took care of the baby. Dyanne was eventually acquitted of the negligence charges that were brought against her. But her ex-husband couldn’t get away, all thanks to the confession made by Bruno’s teenage cousin, Jorje. He was part of the inner circle, who even went to Belo Horizonte and witnessed everything. Macarrao also broke in the court and admitted that he actually asked Bruno to let Eliza go, but the goalie wouldn’t listen. He wouldn’t confess his crime in court either, despite all the confession and the evidence. Everything pointed towards him though, and the court handed him a twenty-two-year sentence. He did get out in 2017, before he was arrested again. Since 2019, Bruno has been serving his time under a semi-open program. Macarrao and Bola also received sentences, with the former’s sentence reduced thanks to his confession. Eliza Samudio’s body was never recovered. The documentary ended with Eliza’s mom talking about her son, who’s now fourteen years old and just happens to be an aspiring goalkeeper. We can only hope the boy will grow up to be a better player and also a better human being than his father.
Final ThoughtsÂ
An Invisible Victim does follow the standard template of any Netflix true crime documentary. There’s a bit of dramatization, some real footage, and a whole lot of background narration and interviews—all carefully blended into a story captivating enough to hold the audience from start to finish. It’s a solidly made documentary, but nothing particularly remarkable. The high point of it is we get to see the trials of Bruno and friends, along with many interviews, including Eliza’s own.Â
The best part about this documentary is how it doubles as a necessary critique of this toxic culture where male athletes are seen as these mythical figures who can’t ever do anything wrong. Their fans wouldn’t mind slandering women, known or unknown, for their idol. This of course reminds me of the fanbase of a very famous (one of the biggest, in fact) Portuguese footballer; you know who I’m talking about. I have utmost love for the game of football, but this is something I absolutely can’t stand. Football is the greatest sport on earth for sure, but not everyone who plays it is necessarily a saint. Another very important thing An Invisible Victim does is focus more on the victim instead of the perpetrator. It remains the story of Eliza and how she suffered throughout, instead of the celebrated goalkeeper committing a random crime and going to jail. The documentary may not be a cinematic marvel, but it is adequate enough to make you aware of Eliza Samudio and the tragedy that happened to her.
