Paul and I spent the last three nights viewing the Baztan Trilogy on Netflix. The trilogy is based on the novels by Dolores Redondo, a phenomenally successful crime novel writer in Spain. It become more fascinating when it was produced by German producer Peter Nadermann who was involved in the adaptations of Stieg Larsson and Henning Mankell’s novels.
It is truly a welcome treat to watch the setting in rain-drenched and lush-forested Basque Country, when California hast suffered both persistent droughts and forest fires. The trilogy has every desirable element: a young female Inspector Amaia Salaza commands a team to investigate a serial killer of young girls in several towns of Spain (The Invisible Guardian). Gradually, the murder of teenager girls is transitioned to the mysterious death of infant girls and the belief of hundred-year-old mythology turns out to be a local cult and witchcraft sponsored by a rich and influential man (The Legacy of the Bones). The final Offering to the Storm is a full exposure of culprits behind all tragedies and Salaza's family secrets.
It is interesting to see that Spain is a class- and wealth-conscious country. In general, the rich and famous are above suspicion, whenever a crime occurs. We observe it either from the TV documentary Camel, Who Killed Maria Marta, to the TV series High Seas. Since Salaza is a highly regarded local bakery, and Juez Javier Markina's father was wealthy, it takes the whole trilogy to unearth the root of all evil from these two families.
The other fascinating aspect is that the Spanish female protagonists are freer in demonstrating their feelings, such as loud weeping, public baby nursing, and casual extra-marital affairs, which perhaps enhances their femininity and Latin characteristics.
Using the environment to create a mysterious and moody atmosphere is of great necessity. The incessant rain at a times turns into floods and certainly helps to expedite car crashes, body injuries, and criminal activities. The eternal dark skies and evening/night scenes have indeed trademarked the genre of horror and even post-apocalyptic themes. I cannot help but wonder if rainy Spain might have contributed, after all, to the drought and fires in California and other north-western states.
