‘The Yara Gambirasio Case’ Netflix Review: An Incredible Documentary That Talks About Two Sides Of A Murder

As mentioned several times before, Netflix is embracing the documentary genre. The streaming giant is churning out many documentary movies and series on various subjects from around the world, which is helping people familiarize themselves with events that occurred around the globe. The latest addition to Netflix’s documentary genre is The Yara Gambirasio Case, which covers the story of the disappearance and murder of a young gymnast from Italy and the subsequent hunt to find her killer. The documentary series was released on July 16, 2024, directed by Gianluca Neri.

The documentary series is about Yara Gambirasio, a thirteen-year-old rhythmic gymnast who disappeared on November 26th, 2010. The young girl’s disappearance caught the attention of the police, media, and the public in general, which led to one of the longest hunts in Italy to look for the person who killed the young girl. The documentary also focuses on the discrepancies in the prosecution’s case years ago and whether there might have been shortcomings in the investigation that were overlooked. The documentary series brings on board the accused, Massimo Bossetti, and his lawyer, who speak about the case from their point of view. The five-part series also discusses the role DNA testing played in the investigation, bringing many unpleasant truths to the forefront.

The Yara Gambirasio Case documentary series does a thorough job of presenting storytelling without any judgment. The makers did a good job of letting the defense lawyer and the accused, who is now in prison and serving a life sentence for Yara’s murder, speak to the audience through this documentary series. It allows the audience to hear the entire narrative from his perspective and how Massimo and his lawyer claim a lot of negligence from the prosecution side by the district attorney took place. This is probably one of those documentaries that did divert from the subject matter, but there are reasons why the makers had to do that. There is mention of several other murder cases that were ignored by the Italian police and passed on in favor of prioritizing the Yara disappearance and the murder case. The makers wanted to point out the fact that Italian police might have played favorites and not given any heed to the deaths of immigrants. There is also a subplot that highlights the fact that the police, back in 2011, were quick to arrest a Moroccan national without any proper evidence in the Yara disappearance case. 

The screenplay of the documentary series might come across as lengthy and stretched at times, but it seems there is a reason why the narrative had to be long. The documentary series might seem tiresome at times but it could be seen as a metaphor for the dilemma and the impatience surrounding the work of Italian police back then and portrays them as incompetent. The incompetence part could be seen in gray shades, but it does highlight the fact that years ago, the lack of social media meant that the police tended to get away with many misdeeds. Kudos to the makers of the show who got into the depths of the story that had taken the entire country by storm. The documentary discusses the local population’s involvement as they were affected by the disappearance of a girl as young as thirteen.  

The Yara Gambirasio Case never focused on making stringent laws regarding the murder of a minor; as a result, this was not shown in the series. Discussing these subjects would have helped the viewer understand the legal and social changes that came into being after this case was closed for good. The editing of the show took a back seat as director Gianluca Neri, along with writers Carlo G. Gabardini and Elena Grillone, wanted to take the audience through the whirlwind of an investigation that brought out many ugly truths to the forefront. The documentary is not all black and white in its narrative, which is why watching this series is a must to understand how law and order can be wrong and could destroy lives as well. It is interesting to watch how social media and platforms like Netflix give voice to people who are not given a stage in the wake of being dubbed killers. 

The defense lawyer has been given enough time to talk about the case from their point of view. The documentary is predictable because everyone knows how the events turned out for the prosecution as well as the accused. What makes the series a good watch is its ability to engage the audience and take them on a roller coaster ride. There are scores of people who have been interviewed, and it is their perspective years after the sentencing was done which makes all the difference. The role of media and the public has been well explored, especially during a time when social media was only a year or two away from becoming the next big thing in the world. 

The Yara Gambirasio Case is quite the eye-opener of a series that extensively helps the audience understand why it is necessary to be open-minded even when it comes to the law enforcement that investigates such cases. It also helps us wonder if anything has changed over the past ten years. The media trial is still a big thing, and it still dictates most of the investigation as everyone is trying to pander to the people who may not know what might have happened. This is a cycle that keeps repeating. The police have a narrative based on which the arrests are made, which essentially influences the public perception of the accused, and the media begin to spin their narrative around it. 

Case in point: the Aarushi and Hemraj murder case of 2008 took a twisted turn, and the media had a field day with it. The documentary showcases an ugly picture of tabloid media and how it would do anything to sustain its TRP and would question everyone associated with the case without feeling any pity for people who have endured a tragedy. Please watch The Yara Gambirasio Case on Netflix, as the narrative is too real and it will show us the mirror of how we are as people inherently.