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The Trials of Gabriel Fernández
The Trials of Gabriel Fernández
2020 | Crime, Documentary
7
8.0 (2 Ratings)
TV Show Rating
This incredibly powerful six part mini series from last February is almost impossible to watch, but once started it feels important that you do see it through to the end. It details a case of child cruelty, abuse and torture leading to eventual death that the entire childcare support system first ignored and then failed to prevent. It shows the exact ways that the support system and then the legal system let down a young boy that may have been saved were it not for a series of shocking professional negligence. The recounting of the story and visual details of the abuse are sickening and beyond any reasonable estimation of tragic. If attempting to watch this, be sure of the reasons you are doing so and approach it with extreme caution.

There is so much natural outrage and actual anger towards the parents who were responsible for these crimes when we see them in court, but also towards the social and justice systems themselves for showcasing their many failings so graphically. The lessons learned are vital in preventing this kind of thing happening elsewhere, and so the drive of watching this is to seek the scraps of hope that emerge by understanding what went wrong and how the law might address the issue to prevent it happening again. Watching this one has an entirely different and sober feel for me. This was in no way entertainment, but it was educational, so I don’t regret going through it, as I feel entirely better informed than I was before.