Someone Has to Know Review: Paulina García and Alfredo Castro star in this drama inspired by true events, wherein a teen’s sudden disappearance leaves three people searching for answers. The drama attempts to hook viewers with mysteries and a slow-burning unravelling of events, and takes us on a journey of faith, grief and justice.
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Someone Has to Know Netflix Cast
Paulina García, Alfredo Castro, Clemente Rodríguez, Lucas Sáez Collins, Gabriel Cañas
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Someone Has to Know Series Director
Fernando Guzzoni, Pepa San Martín
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Original Title
Alguien Tiene Que Saber
The series has 8 episodes, each with a runtime of around 40 minutes.
Someone Has to Know Review
Diving deep into the grief, secrecy and the ripple effects of a missing person case, Netflix’s Someone Has to Know, a limited series inspired by real events, grips viewers with its grounded storytelling and character-driven narrative, and offers a compelling yet frustrating watch.
Plot overview
Someone Has to Know begins with the sudden disappearance of Julio, which sets off a tense but chaotic investigation headed by an ageing detective and a desperate mother who will stop at nothing. In the middle of this mess is a priest who heard someone confessing to the murder but cannot divulge the secret due to the oath that he has taken.
The narrative shifts between the emotions associated with law enforcement officers, who need to find the end of this case, and the family, for whom life has stopped after Julio went missing. The turmoil is torturous for everyone, and rather than relying on twists, the series tries to focus on bringing forth hidden truths buried right under their noses. The priest becomes the central figure, as the irony of his situation is not lost on anyone.
Performances & characters
Paulina García, Alfredo Castro and Gabriel Cañas headline the show, and everyone delivers an understated yet powerful performance. Although the storyline isn’t particularly unique, it’s the characters who leave viewers heartbroken.
García anchors the emotional core of the series, as her portrayal of a grieving, desperate mother is both relatable and terrifying. It will be hard to picture oneself in her shoes, and she does a great job of avoiding the melodrama and letting her restrained portrayal take centre stage.
On the other hand, Alfredo Castro’s detective is methodical yet outdated, painfully aware that time is slipping out of his hands, and willing to do anything to win this case. However, as a result, he becomes his own worst enemy. Lastly, Gabriel Cañas leaves you frustrated, and instead of being sympathetic to the heavy burden that San Martin has to bear, viewers will start to feel anger at his blatant hypocrisy.
What Works
Realistic storytelling & emotional depth
Being based on true events, Someone Has to Know is less about the melodrama and shocking twists and more dependent on the atmospheric storytelling and gradual tension building. It takes time to explore its three central characters and, thus, excels in portraying grief, uncertainty, and guilt. Family dynamics and the wider community support also become a focal point and add layers to the narrative, turning this from a standard crime thriller to more of a social drama.
Visuals
The series does a good job of creating a dreary and hopeless atmosphere as the investigation slowly loses hope. The muted colours and grounded cinematography enhance the series’ sombre tone and reinforce the realism, and end up piercing your heart.
What doesn’t work
Slow pacing & unnecessary meandering
The series is extremely slow, to the point that it gets sluggish and boring. Sequences repeat over and over again, and the lack of character growth will leave you annoyed. Although this isn’t a traditional crime fiction series since it’s based on real events, the series doesn’t add anything new to the story from start to finish. Viewers will have gained no new information and will find themselves back to where they started in the beginning.
Limited payoff
The real case doesn’t have a conclusion either, so it makes sense that the Netflix miniseries will have no clear conclusion. Thus, its dependency on emotional payoff may be heartbreaking, but it doesn’t make it more thrilling.
Themes and analysis
At its core, the series explores how truth is more or less always buried beneath fear and complicity. The title is a good reminder of that thought – someone or the other knows something, but they aren’t willing to admit it. The weight of the silence and the collective guilt is showcased in every scene, and it simply leaves you frustrated.
Another compelling theme is that justice is simply an illusion. Throughout the series, everyone rushes to try to solve a murder, but no one ever goes to the end of it. The priest, too, tries to be a well-wisher for the family, but never does the one thing that could truly help them. His arc is the most interesting, as it wonders what his responsibility is in all of this, but that, too, is left up to the viewers to decide.
Final Thoughts
Despite some heavy themes and interesting discussions, Someone Has to Know doesn’t have the punch, mostly because it meanders way too much. It’s sincere and an emotionally resonant look at loss, grief and justice, but isn’t able to create the impact viewers may expect.
What did you think of Someone Has to Know? Let us know in the comments below!
Also Read:
- Someone Has to Know Ending Explained: Why the Truth Stays Buried and How the Real Case Ended
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An entire review and the reviewer didn’t find it worthy of a mention that the series is Chilean. Not only is it quite unusual to get a series from Chile on Netflix but with Chile’s history of disappeared political prisoners the idea of disappearing rings differently there.