The doc that everyone is talking about
An Invisible Victim: The Eliza Samudio Story
For all true crime fans, there is a new documentary on Netflix: ‘An Invisible Victim: The Eliza Samudio Story’. The 25-year-old Eliza Samudio enters into a relationship with the professional goalkeeper Bruno Fernandes de Souza. But when she becomes pregnant, he wants nothing to do with her. Eliza goes missing and Bruno denies having anything to do with it.
She is not heard
The Brazilian Eliza was ambitious, she dreamed of a career in professional football. When that doesn't work out, she moves to Rio de Janeiro. There she meets Bruno, the goalkeeper and big star of football club Flamengo. The two start a relationship. But what Eliza doesn't know is that Bruno is married and has even more affairs. When she becomes pregnant and announces that he would be the father, he denies ever having had anything to do with her. He threatens to harm her and her family if she continues to claim that it is his child. Nevertheless, Eliza seeks help from the police among others, but she is not believed. Bruno's star status makes him ‘untouchable’ and she is portrayed by the media, and all his fans, as a golddigger.
Lingering questions
When Eliza suddenly disappears four months after the birth of her son, the case is not taken very seriously. It would be her own fault. The fans remain loyal to their player, his innocence will be proven. An investigation follows, which also looks into the possible involvement of Bruno and his friends. They keep pointing fingers at each other and telling contradictory stories. What exactly happened to Eliza remains the question. She is said to have been murdered and her son was left behind. The child is found, but no one knows where her body is.
Double victim
The documentary makers managed to get hold of Eliza's personal laptop, which had been with the police for a long time. On it, they found various chat messages between Eliza and her friends about her relationship. Various parties involved, such as her parents, the detective, and even Bruno's ex-wife, are interviewed. The documentary painfully highlights how Eliza became not only a victim of a bad relationship but also of the position of women in Brazil and Bruno's power position.
