What is The Lady of Silence: The Mataviejitas Murders on Netflix all about? Release date, summary, and more 

Touted to be the best true-crime documentary of this year, The Lady of Silence: The Mataviejitas Murders recently on Netflix on July 27, 2023.

The documentary follows the gruesome story of Juana Barraza, the Mexican serial killer and former professional wrestler involved in the killing of 16 elderly women starting from 1998 until his arrest in 2009.

The Lady of Silence has a run-time of one hour fifty-one minutes and is directed by María José Cuevas, best known for BELLAS DE NOCHE, while Miguel León has written the film.

It is produced by Ivonne Gutiérrez along with Laura Woldenberg as an executive producer. The film was originally shot in Spanish in Mexico, but is also available in English.

Here's the official trailer for the chilling documentary:

The official synopsis on Netflix reads:

"Between 1998 and 2005, a wave of murders targeting elderly women hit Mexico City, triggering the hunt for — and capture — of a most unlikely suspect."

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The Lady of Silence: The Mataviejitas Murders on Netflix: A look inside the crimes of Mexico's first ever serial killer

Netflix's latest true-crime documentary The Lady of Silence is based on the chilling murders of elderly women in Mexico during the late 90s and early 2000's.

These murders took the country by a storm, creating a panic amongst the general populace as seen in the trailer. While everyone spoke about the depravity of these crimes, very few questioned about the one perpetuating it.

This does not come as a surpise though, since the Mataviejitas murders were in fact, Mexico's first ever serial killings, as claimed in the trailer. It opens with eerie music and aerial shots, soon transitioning into a description of the killer having "broad back" and "big hands". The fear amongst the correspondents is starkly visible throughout the trailer.

One of them, Alejandra Alday, the granddaughter of Margarita, one of Juana Barraza's victims, is seen sharing her grief with the world and demanding answers to questions like "What about the victims?".

The documentary strives to throw light on this, especially because the victims of the crime, the elderly women, are in fact one of the most well respected members of Mexican society.

The events that followed during the search for the murderer also led to an unrest with the transvestite community living in Mexico as they were hauled with accusations suspecting them of the crime.

This was because investigating officers believed that the killer was a man pretending to be a nurse, in order to get closer and more comfortable to the victims, ultimately killing them.

However, the real killer's identity was soon revealed to be Juana Barraza, a Mexican woman and a professional wrestler dubbed La Mataviejitas. She is sentenced to 759 years in prison since 2009 for the killing of 16 elderly women.

The reasons behind her atrocious misdeeds lie in her disturbed past with an alcoholic mother, which even led to her being r*ped.

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A quick plot review for The Lady of Silence: The Mataviejitas Murders on Netflix

As per Netflix's official synopsis:

"The year 2000 marks the start of a new decade in Mexico City. A number of murders has the capital police at a stalemate: older ladies are being strangled in their own homes. The victims’ profiles are causing never-before-seen social outrage and media coverage. The Attorney General’s Office is employing all its resources and efforts to capture Mexico’s first serial killer."

The Lady of Silence is available to stream on Netflix now.