Saagar Kote
Netflix’s ‘The Dead Girls’ or ‘Las Muertas’ deals with the story of Serafina and Arcángela Baladro, sisters who run a brothel empire in Mexico in the 1960s. Created by Luis Estrada, the crime drama series chronicles their journey in the crime world and the way they become killers. The non-linear narration looks at the struggles of the siblings, as it covers their lives from their early days as brothel owners to them becoming influential figures in society, especially in the region called Plan de Abajo, where they establish close relationships with military officers and locals. It delves into the ideas of sisterhood, corruption, morality, and violence intricately. As the sisters take a deep dive into the world of crime, the show also explores social factors around them, particularly those related to sex and morality. Essentially, the story focuses on dangerous individuals who exploit the weaknesses of society and the system to achieve their goals of power and dominance.
The Dead Girls Captures the Raw Essence of Jorge Ibargüengoitia’s Novel
‘The Dead Girls’ is based on the novel ‘Las Muertas’ by Jorge Ibargüengoitia Antillón, with the screenplay developed by creator Luis Estrada, in collaboration with Jaime Sampietro and Rodrigo Santos. The novel is partly inspired by the real-life case involving the González Valenzuela sisters, known as Las Poquianchis, whose crimes shocked Mexico in the 1960s. Talking to Forbes, Luis Estrada said, “From the moment I read the novel, I wanted to shoot it.” In the novel, the author fictionalized the story of Delfina, Maria de Jesus, Maria del Carmen, and Maria Luisa González Valenzuela and spun the tale of the Baladro sisters, which the show responsibly adapts.
Speaking to the AP, Luis said that he thinks evil is essentially the great theme Ibargüengoitia addresses in his novel, and that it is a story of thugs who rise and then fall dramatically. He also talked about how Mexico’s institutions and political forces were involved in the happenings around the brothel empire. Estrada also opined that ‘Las muertas’ offered him a kind of grand canvas to paint a very ambitious portrait of Mexico, of Mexican identity, of its institutions, of its past problems, which are very similar to those of the present, which include impunity, violence, mistreatment of women, and human trafficking. He added that the tone offered by Jorge Ibargüengoitia’s novel is very similar to the tone of his films.
The life of the sisters and their dangerous foray into the world of crime and violence forms the bulk of the show. The novel reworks the story across time periods, using testimony, police reports, and interrogations that form the heart of the story. It also exposes the corruption that facilitated the events surrounding the terror of the Baladro siblings. The show also delves into the darker aspects of crime and systemic issues, on the lines of the novel. The sociopolitical factors that enabled the brutality of the sisters are reflected in the show, which adds to the authenticity of the narrative.
The Dead Girls Loosely Touches Upon the Lives of Las Poquianchis
The source material, as well as ‘The Dead Girls,’ takes inspiration from the lives of dangerous siblings who terrorized Mexico in the past. Reportedly, from 1950 to 1964, the Rancho El Ángel in Guanajuato was operated by the four González sisters. This enterprise functioned as a dangerous sex work ring and was implicated in a minimum of 91 confirmed fatalities, with investigators believing that the actual victim count exceeded 200. In 1964, the sisters Delfina, Maria de Jesus, Maria del Carmen, and Maria Luisa González Valenzuela were sentenced to 40 years in prison.
In 1964, a detailed report from Time Magazine talked about a distressing incident in León, a sun-baked city in central Mexico. Three distraught mothers arrived at the police station, tearfully informing the police chief about a lead regarding their long-missing teenage daughters. They had received a tip from a young girl who had escaped from a brothel, claiming their children were being held captive on a ranch near León. The shocking details of the case also include the police finding 19 teenage girls in the ranch, much to the horror of the country. Authorities arrested Delfina González Valenzuela and her sister María de Jesús, along with several accomplices. Subsequent searches at the ranch and two brothels owned by the sisters uncovered the remains of 17 young women and five babies.
The violence unleashed by the sisters in real life finds a representation in the show, although it is more inspired by the tone and characters of the novel. Despite the cinematic liberties utilized by the show, the gruesome nature of the real-life inspiration behind it is represented in unsettling ways. Delfina met her end in prison when a construction worker, attempting to glimpse the serial murderer, accidentally poured cement on her head. María, upon completing her sentence, vanished after her release. Carmen succumbed to cancer while still incarcerated. María Luisa, tormented by the fear of being killed by furious protesters, descended into madness. The show is a brutal navigation of the lives of the Baladro sisters, who exhibit violent instincts throughout the narrative, which reveals their penchant for murder and mayhem.
Read More: The Dead Girls Ending Explained: Why are Serafina and Arcangela Baladro Arrested?
