The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann

Maddie’s disappearance was, probably, the biggest case of this sort in Portugal, ever. A very controversial one, with great impact in the public opinion of one of the safest countries in the world. Many things were said about it, and many doubts and suspicions remain in our minds, to this very day, about what really happened to little Maddie.

The way this documentary show was made is very clever. You go and follow along, step by step throughout the investigation and you will change your opinion and suspicions throughout it, as each piece of evidence comes to light. You might be overwhelmed with many different feelings and no matter your initial opinion about the case, you’ll feel doubt start to creep up as you watch each episode.

It’s very interesting the way different people, from different countries, face each detail and the cultural differences that might seem like nothing on most regular occasions, might be huge under such complicated circumstances. I remember how shocking it was for Portuguese people the fact that the children had even been left alone in the first place, making most of us think they were negligent parents. The perspective kind of shifts when you watch other English people and their reactions to the events as it not being “a big deal” because theoretically, the children would be safe.

I think these kinds of details should make us think about many public judgments that were made and about how easily we point fingers and attribute blame without really knowing the people in front of us.

The ending, sadly, is not a solution and I think most of the world is still waiting, somewhat hopeful, that somehow, Maddie might one day return safely to her family.

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