‘The Last hours of Mario Biondo‘ is a Spanish true crime limited series directed by María Pulido. It chronicles the investigation of the unexpected death of the husband to a famous TV host.
On May 30, 2013, Mario Biondo, an Italian cameraman and the spouse of TV presenter Raquel Sánchez-Silva, was discovered dead in the living room of his residence in Madrid. The circumstances surrounding his death appeared nonviolent, and he was found alone. This incident initiated a comprehensive investigation aimed at unraveling the complexities of the case, which generated widespread public interest and soon became one of the most prominent events in recent Spanish history.
The three episode series is built up as a typical contemporary true crime docu-series. We are, in the first episode, introduced to the case and the man in the center of this case, Mario Biondo, his nearest family in Italy, and his wife’s agent. It is particularly his mother, who took to the Italian media, as she was convinced there was more to the case than what had been determined. She was dead set on finding a culprit and at first instance pointed fingers at her son’s wife (now widow), Raquel Sánchez, a famous TV host. However, that might have been a hurried conclusion to reach.
Further into the series the trial is covered too, and includes interviews with experts in law. Despite the fact that the court had determined it was a suicide, the deceased man’s family was insistent on finding “the truth”, hence hiring a criminologist to investigate what could be behind his death. What this Sicilian family finds out about Mario is darker than they expected.
Our Opinion on ‘The Last hours with Mario Biondo’
A well produced true crime, with interesting characters at the center of it, plentiful of interviews with people relevant to the case, adequately selected archive footage, and well narrated, this series will undoubtedly be to the liking of fans of the genre. It is not as sensationalist as many documentaries in the genre tend to be, and that might be what makes it stand out. Lastly, it is worth mentioning that the dubbing is good.
Where to watch ‘The Last hours with Mario Biondo’
When to watch ‘The Last hours with Mario Biondo’
August 3rd