Categorized as a True Crime film, the Brazilian documentary A Vítima Invisível: O Caso Eliza Samúdio is really more of a tragedy. A story like this makes me wonder if victims will ever receive justice. Or will celebrities always be able to get away with their crimes, even murder?
The Story
The film presents Eliza Samudio as a young woman who originally wanted to be a professional goalkeeper. Arriving in the big city without means, she works briefly in the sex / porn industry. She meets Bruno, a goalkeeper at Flamengo. They have a short affair, and she becomes pregnant. But Bruno is both still married and newly engaged, so he doesn’t want a third woman tugging on his wallet.
When Eliza goes public with her pregnancy, Bruno and the media label her as a gold-digger. He wants her out of his life, and eventually his friends, relatives, wife, and fiancé all help out. Eliza dies by strangulation, her body is reportedly fed to dogs, and there is a media circus over which grandparent gets custody of her 4-month old son by Bruno.
The film shows us the media frenzy, first against Eliza and then against Bruno. We see bits of the trials of Bruno and his friends. Although Eliza Samudio was murdered in 2010, it takes 3 years for Bruno to be convicted, after he and his childhood buddy finally accuse each other of being the mastermind. Convicted in 2013, Bruno gets several opportunities to keep playing, and finally he is released and free to play pro sports again in 2021.
In conclusion
This is a frustrating story to watch because there are no good endings and there is no justice. Any remains of Eliza Samudio’s body were never found, and she remains invisible. Poor, unfortunate Eliza Samudio doesn’t even merit her own wikipedia page. And in the end, it feels like everyone is at peace because the child of Eliza and Bruno may become a top goalkeeper.
6 Soccer Movie Mom Rating = 6
Resources:
- Released: 2024-09-26 (Netflix)
- Portuguese title is A Vítima Invisível: O Caso Eliza Samúdio
- 1 hr 41 mins
- In Portuguese with English sub-titles
- I watched this on Netflix
- IMDB
- WIKI on the murder of Eliza Samudio
- Director: Juliana Antunes
- Stars: Eliza Samudio , Bruno Fernandes
- Watch the Trailer in Portuguese
