A Kidnapping Scandal The Florence Cassez Affair (El caso Cassez-Vallarta: Una novela criminal) is a true-crime documentary series, released on Netflix on 25 August 2022. It is directed by Gerardo Naranjo and written by Alejandro Gerber Bicecci from the book A Criminal Novel, originally titled, Una Novela Criminal, written by Jorge Volpi.
There are 5 episodes in total with a runtime of about 50 minutes to 1 hour. The cast includes Florence Cassez (the accused), TV presenter Carlos Loret de Mola, then minister of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, Olga Sánchez Cordero, and then minister Arturo Zaldívar; Nicolás Sarkozy, former president of the French Republic, Felipe Calderón, former president of the Mexican Republic, as well as Jorge Volpi, among others.
-A Kidnapping Scandal The Florence Cassez Affair Review Contain Some Spoilers-
It examines the case of Florence Cassez and Israel Vallarta, alleged kidnappers and one of the most notable and scandalous cases in Mexico’s history. Through interviews and analysis of public records, the documentary details the irregularities of this case and throws light on the people at the centre of what became a diplomatic scandal between Mexico and France.
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The series starts off with an exclusive media coverage of a group of federal police officers, busting down a kidnapper’s hideout and rescuing 3 people from the site, on 9 December 2005. The victims included a man, a mother and her child. In the video, we see the kidnapper Israel, lying down on the floor with his hands cuffed in a room full of weapons and scary masks.
But he is not alone, there’s another person, a French woman named Florence Cassez, who is said to be his wife and perpetrator as well. However, when the reporter asks her questions about the kidnapping, she denies everything and says that she is being falsely accused.
What started as a sensational news broadcast of a group of kidnappers’ arrest, soon became a case of national interest, with them being declared guilty before even any investigation. All the victims’ testimony said that they hadn’t seen their kidnappers and only heard voices but as time went on, even that changed to directly accusing the couple of the crime.
To fully understand why and how they could be persecuted so easily, you have to know the country’s political scenario. Mexico’s hegemonic party had finally lost and Vicente Fox Quesada was the new president, who promised the country a democratic change and freedom from all the crimes in the society.
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However, things didn’t really change for any better and the country had the highest cases of kidnapping, and murders and even the federal police were blamed to be in on some of the incidents. At such hostile times, a full public broadcast of AFI agents rescuing the civilians from a brutal kidnapping seems like a perfect image-building event.
But why Florence Cassez and Israel Vallarta were dragged into this, is something that hasn’t been answered yet, only tidbits that could be gathered, points to some personal vengeance towards Israel that became much bigger than it was supposed to be. Cassez had arrived in Mexico, to live and work with her brother who was there with his Mexican wife. She met Israel Vallarta through her brother.
They had been dating for at least 1 year when they were arrested and received a 60-year sentence for the crimes of kidnapping, organized crime, and illegal possession of firearms. The sentence and possible extradition to her home country created diplomatic tensions between France and Mexico.
Even when it was revealed by the head of Mexican Federal Police, Genaro García Luna, that the arrest was staged for the media and they had already arrested the couple a day before, sounds more suspicious with no concrete and fabricated evidence that doesn’t prove anyone guilty.
Summing Up: A Kidnapping Scandal The Florence Cassez Affair
The documentary series reveals a harrowing tale of how corruption and vengeance can take apart so many lives. The real motive behind everything remains a secret, apart from Eduardo Margolis seeking revenge from Israel. While Florence Cassez was able to walk out innocent of all the charges after 8 years in prison in 2013, with the help of her country.
Israel is still serving his time and with him, other family members were also unfairly arrested and tortured in prison. But they were let go after a few years, however, the future remains dark in Israel Vallarta’s case. The kidnapping and crimes that happened aren’t to be forgotten or disrespected, but here, it seems like the police focused in a different direction than actually solving the crime.
A Kidnapping Scandal The Florence Cassez Affair is streaming on Netflix.