Netflix crime docuseries Elize Matsunaga: Once Upon A Crime offers a unique perspective into why a woman decides to kill a man she once loved -- her husband and father of her child.
Elize, the self-confessed convict, describes in her first-ever interview what drove her to commit the heinous cold-blooded crime, in which she shot and dismembered her wealthy husband Marcos, a businessman of Japanese descent, in a murder that shocked Brazil and the world in 2016.
The victim was CEO and heir to the family-owned food company Yoki, while the Brazilian blonde came from an impoverished background, enjoying a rags to riches existence.
She shared with him a passion for hunting and shooting.
Elize pleaded guilty to the murder of her husband and the concealment of a corpse. Soon after his dismembered body parts were found, she was sentenced to 19 years in prison.
Infidelity on the part of Marcos becomes an integral piece in the wider tapestry of reasons that inflamed her anger and irrational decisions.
It is rather captivating to observe her calm and collected demeanour for most of the interview, punctuated by her chilling admonition: "I still don't know what kind of emotion made me pull that trigger."
Peeling away the delicately crucial social and psychological aspects of what drives criminal minds to unleash pent-up rage on the person who has wronged them is what makes this crime documentary worth watching.
The chronological order of the story is delivered in such a manner that it keeps the audience guessing; just when you conclude that the accused has been cornered for her crime, a new revelation turns the tables and we are back to square one.
The documentary's four episodes range between 45 and 50 minutes, and explores this case in a way that make viewers ponder and critically analyse the motives behind a savage killing.
What adds to the intrigue is polarised version of events presented by the state and by Elize. While one highlights jealousy and money as prime motives, making the murder into a hate crime, the defence claims a narrative that leans more towards a crime of passion. Both scenarios are likely given the evidence presented. Marcos and Elize met through an escort website when the deceased was still married to his first wife. Long story short, he cheated on the first wife with Elize and the pair lived together for three years prior to his divorce being finalised. After their marriage, they had a daughter together. We are told that Marcos was verbally abusive.
To help the audience better understand Elize, the show delves into her past. We are informed she comes from a dysfunctional background, without a father figure and an absent mother. She was mostly raised by her grandparents and aunt until she was 10 years old.
At that point, she went to live with her mother and stepfather, who later abused her. As a result, she decided to run away from home at 15.
In her early 20s, Elize trained as a nurse before deciding she wanted to become a lawyer. In order to pursue her career goals, she turned to prostitution to make money, moving to São Paulo, where she met Marcos who frequently hired escort services.
Elize's story is a tragic one. Without a shred of a doubt, her troubled childhood played an integral part in her psychotic behaviour later in life. Her inability to process and channel her emotions appropriately led to her indifference when it came to making rational decisions, one of which would have been to walk away from the heated argument with her husband which triggered her impulsive behaviour to shoot and later dismember him in a chillingly creepy manner.
- Elize Matsunaga: Once Upon A Crime
- Starring José Carlos Cosenzo, Luiz Flávio D'Urso, Mauro Dias
- Now streaming on Netflix
