The Last Hours of Mario Biondo (Las últimas horas de Mario Biondo) is a true crime mini docuseries released on Netflix on August 3, 2023. It is executive produced by Guillermo Gomez and Luis Velo and directed by Mario Pulido. There are 3 episodes with a runtime of about 41-44 minutes.
The documentary series features Santina D’Alessandro, Pippo Biondo, Emanuela Biondo, Andrea Biondo, Nacho Gay, Dr Jose Carlos Fuertes, Ana Salinas, Angelo Farina, Leire Lopez, Ercole Rocchetti, Selvaggio Lucarelli, Isabel Gutierrez, Oscar Taruella, Dra Julia Maria Fernandez, Roberta Bruzzone and several others.
The Last Hours of Mario Biondo Review
On May 30, 2013, Mario Biondo, an Italian cameraman and husband of the television presenter Raquel Sánchez-Silva, was found dead in the living room of his apartment in Madrid. From that moment, began a complex investigation to try to clarify the circumstances of a case that raises many questions and quickly became one of the most talked about media events in recent Spanish history.
Raquel and Mario are said to have met on the show Survivor (Supervivientes: Perdidos en Honduras (2011)) as the host and cameraman. They connected well with each other, despite the age gap, as Raquel was 9 years older than him and got married by the next year. The documentary doesn’t really delve into their married life, so one can not say what they were like as a couple but a year after their marriage, Mario’s tragic death came to light.
Raquel is said to have gone to Plasencia because of her Uncle’s surgery but had a big fight with Mario, regarding his cocaine use and their plans for children. She was concerned that it would hinder sperm formation. While she was gone, the re-enacted events of the night show that he was on his laptop searching for something then went out to withdraw cash to give to his deal and even went to a brothel for having some drinks. However, nobody knows what happened when he came back home and why was he hanging dead in his living room.
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Since there was no evidence of violent break-in or force, the case was wrapped as suicide and according to Guillermo Gomez (Raquel’s agent), he emphasises Mario doing self asphyxiation and dying during it. Whether he was engaging in sexual activity or not, the documentary portrays that he tied himself and there was no other person or foul play.
Meanwhile, Mario’s parents beg to differ and when Spanish authorities closed the case, they urged the Italian authorities to seek justice. At first, they were suspicious that someone known did it to their son but soon they turned against Raquel as the sole culprit. However, there’s no solid evidence that could prove her guilty of being there at the time of his death. And eventually, Italian authorities also closed the case with the same verdict of Mario taking his own life.
Even this documentary became a controversial topic when the Biondo Family claimed that they have been deceived by the production company. Since Guillermo Gomez is the executive producer as well, it’s probable that the narrative of the documentary would be turned against the family. And since they haven’t seen the final cut yet, they believe that their words will be framed in a different light.
Raquel Sánchez-Silva doesn’t make an appearance in the documentary but Gomez presents her side of the story for the most part. However, the documentary doesn’t really shed light on any new information or unknown side of the story but tries to set the record straight of what could have unfolded that night. Is this version the ultimate truth or not, still remains a mystery.
From a personal perspective, it does seem like the family projected their grief and anger towards Raquel and made her the villain of their story. Maligning the former daughter-in-law’s image and career because she didn’t seem remorseful enough comes from a place of hatred that could have been present even before the accident. Raquel doesn’t seem that powerful enough to influence the judgement in two countries and if there’s no evidence to support the murder theories then maybe it’s time to let go and make peace.
The documentary remains a puzzling mystery with no right answer to take anyone’s side. It’s like a news special on the case that found its way to Netflix. If it were a truly investigative film, then they would have looked into the details of their relationship and other perspectives that might have been overlooked. But it seems like the documentary is already taking a side that wants to present their side of events as the truth.
Rating: 2.5/5
The Last Hours of Mario Biondo is currently streaming on Netflix.
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