Entertainment

This documentary on Netflix is so insane that you have to see it now

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There are those documentaries where halfway through you think: “Okay, this is intense.” …And you have The TikTok Killer, Netflix's latest documentary. This is not just intense, but the kind of true crime where you want to sit under a blanket, because yes: you always feel a bit safer under the covers. Because yes: you are going to need it. Although you often want to look away from the horror, you will keep watching. Because yes: what happened to Esther Estepa? It's so insane that after this documentary you will probably consider deleting TikTok. And doing a whole social media cleanse. Ewl.

This is not insane because it's fiction, but precisely because it is not. It sometimes feels like you've stepped into a Stephen King book, but everything has really happened. And while you watch, you catch yourself feeling that uncomfortable sensation you also got from Kevin Wendell Crumb in Split or Glass. You know it’s not right, but stopping watching? No way.

The disappearance that won't let anyone go

This two-part docu follows the mysterious disappearance of the Spanish Esther Estepa. What starts as a missing person case slowly turns into a bizarre internet thriller where TikTok, manipulation, and a man with an extremely dark past come together. We start innocently: Esther is trying to rebuild her life after a difficult period. She travels along the Spanish coast and meets all sorts of new people. Motivated to make a fresh start, she seizes every opportunity. During the trip, she meets a man: the friendly traveler and content creator José Jurado Montilla. Or as he is known on TikTok: Dinamita.

José posts videos about his hikes through Spain and his philosophical view on life. That kind of content you scroll past and think: “Oh, good for him.” He travels all over the country and everyone sees it. Esther and José become friends and spend some time together. They walk together and secretly it seems like they both have found a new support to make a fresh start. But then something strange happens. Esther disappears.

In August 2023, her mother receives another message from her. In it, she says she would be leaving for Buenos Aires with a friend, but her mother feels that something is not right. The tone is so off that her daughter could never have sent that. From that moment on, Esther's phone goes dark and there is no more contact. The few hours of silence that you can explain by flying or a long journey slowly turn into days. After a few weeks, her family raises the alarm.

Her acquaintances are sure: this friend has something to do with it. While Esther is missing, Montilla continues to post videos. He claims to be worried and looking for her. Her family doesn't trust him and decides to Google him. And what they found out… Oh my god.

What do you see in the documentary?

The two-part series shows how Esther's family tries to piece together what happened bit by bit. They look at old messages, videos, and photos. They visit places where their daughter has been and talk to people she met during her trip. Like a sort of detective team, they get to work. Because there is little physical evidence, they follow a digital trail. By putting this puzzle together, they try to figure out what her last days before the disappearance looked like.

What makes this documentary hit even harder is that you don't just see static interviews and photos. We see real footage during the disappearance. Videos of Esther and footage of José that he posted online himself. Videos in which he talks, laughs, and walks through Spain while Esther's fate is undecided. And who is actually this calm, almost spiritual man who became best friends with Esther so suddenly? Really, honestly: it might sound boring, but this is really creepy. These kinds of things always feel far away, but to look into the eyes of this crazy person… Yes, that's really next level.

What happened to Esther?

Okay, I'm not going to reveal everything now. But one thing I can say: Esther never came home. Somewhere in the Spanish wilderness, it went completely wrong. And when you hear what happened there, your jaw will drop.

What makes this documentary so bizarre in the end is that TikTok plays almost a sort of supporting role in this whole story. While Esther disappears, Montilla keeps posting. Videos in which he walks through villages, talks to followers, and documents his life. As if nothing is wrong. And that might be the scariest part of this whole case: that someone can show a completely online life that is totally disconnected from reality.

So you are not just watching a story, but also how social media can become a sort of diary of a crime. Every video, every location, every encounter becomes a puzzle piece in hindsight. And that makes The TikTok Killer such a documentary where you sit quietly on the couch afterwards. With your phone in your hand. TikTok open. And then you suddenly think: maybe I should just delete this app for a while.

Image: Netflix | The TikTok Killer