Even though I am a fan of investigative thrillers, the true crime subgenre has always irked me. I mean, imagine you have survived some horrific murder attempt, or worse, and after years of therapy, you have managed to move on. But then you see some hack job of a director or screenwriter bringing back all those memories while spicing things up with their creative flair. Alternatively, how would you feel if someone from your family or friend circle, who was the victim of a heinous act of felony, is brought back to life by the power of cinema and their last moments are now being displayed to the whole world in minute, gory detail? In addition to that, the movies and shows that populate this subgenre always seem to be lazily put together, because the creators think that the dramatization of a real event doesn’t need to have a perspective, any kind of opinion, or some kind of analysis to be impactful; just a beat-by-beat retelling will do. And since this form of storytelling is becoming more and more popular, it’s refreshing to see a film like A Widow’s Game, which actually has something to say after giving us a rundown of Maje’s sexual escapades.
Carlos Sedes’ A Widow’s Game, written by Ramon Campos, Gema R. Neira, Jon de la Cuesta, Ricardo Jornet, David Orea, and Javier Chacartegui, tells the story of Arturo, an engineer, and Maje, a nurse who worked at an old-age home and a hospital, who married each other on 3rd September 2016. It was a controversial union, because a month before the wedding, Maje had cheated on Arturo with Andres. Arturo forgave her, thinking that it was a one-time thing, but his family members, especially Victor, were skeptical about his decision. They were right, because Maje kept jumping from one extramarital affair to another. Eventually, Arturo found out about her adulterous behavior and said that he would divorce her. Maje spiraled out and employed one of her many lovers, Salva, to go and kill Arturo, which he did. That’s where Eva and her homicide unit came in to investigate the matter. Initially, Eva bought Maje’s grieving widow act and bugged her phone just to check if some jilted stalker was harassing her after killing her husband. That’s when the police realized that Maje wasn’t the victim in this situation; she was actually the mastermind. However, having an idea of Maje’s true nature was one thing; arresting her and Salva for the crime they had committed was a whole different ball game.
The most interesting aspect of A Widow’s Game is that it’s essentially a detailed character study of Maje and Salva that comes with a pretty strong and timely message about infidelity. The movie never really explicitly explained why Maje did the things that she did. But if you look at her workload—doing 2 jobs, and that too in the nursing profession, is no child’s play—and then see her partying around and fornicating with countless men, it’s bound to confuse you. Eva theorized that Maje’s actions were the result of her need to be desired and revered like a goddess. However, that clashed with the nature of her jobs, which involved her serving people endlessly. Maje came from what seemed like a conservative family, but based on her phone calls, she talked about her most intimate details with her mother, who actually encouraged her to have sex. She was a paradox who had developed this habit of cheating on men, because that’s what fueled her spirit. And Arturo was like her golden goose, because he loved her endlessly, despite knowing that she had cheated on him, and she failed to manipulate him with her seductive looks into not giving her a divorce when he learned that she had broken his trust.
That brings us to Salva. This individual truly made me question what men really want. There’s a certain section of self-proclaimed flag bearers of traditional values who’ll say that it’s important for men to have a wife and a child because that’s what used to happen in the olden days. And then you’ll see them throwing all of it away for someone younger while shouting YOLO. Then there’s another group of self-proclaimed alpha males who’ll advise men to never undervalue themselves for a woman. But you’ll always find them flushing their spine down the gutter upon witnessing anybody who is willing to give them an ounce of attention. Finally, there are the self-proclaimed white knights who think it’s their moral duty to protect women because educating men to be better is too tough. I mean, if men are so harebrained in this day and age, they deserve to be manipulated by women into being their subservient minions. Men can talk all they want about making a united stand against women and feminism, but at the end of the day, they’ll behave exactly like Salva. I know that sounds very harsh and incredibly controversial; that’s because it’s the truth, and I’m glad that A Widow’s Game has highlighted this facet of the male gender so beautifully.
Where A Widow’s Game kind of falters is its lack of creativity when it comes to visual storytelling. There are 3 moments that are really good. The first one is a well-placed cut between a shot of Salva talking to Maje on the phone and pulling at the wired grill on his balcony, while on the other end, Maje is doing the same to the bark of a tree in her workplace. The second one involves the use of a napkin holder fitted with a recording device as the POV character in a conversation between Maje and Salva, because we’re listening in on them through that item. And the third one is the shot where Eva cleans the whiteboard, which had all the details of the investigation on it, leaving behind just a “D” because it was written by Berni (who was killed in action) with a permanent marker. Other than these examples, no other frames elicited an emotional reaction out of me. The narrative kept me hooked. The nonlinear storytelling was interesting. The use of the audio tracks was great. However, if you’re making a 2-hour-long movie and only 3 small moments stand out, then that’s a major issue, in my opinion. If I have to cite a better example of a true crime drama with amazing visuals, I’ll shout out Zodiac; everyone setting out to make their mark in this subgenre should watch that and learn.
The performances from the whole cast of A Widow’s Game are excellent. Ivana Baquero deserves all the awards for exquisitely portraying Maje’s diabolical characteristics. She is aware that the audience knows that Maje is an excellent liar, but instead of giving us a hint that she is giving a false statement, she just plays every scene with utmost sincerity. And that magically makes you hate the character so much. The same goes for Tristan Ulloa. He doesn’t play Salva like he is some dumb guy who has been bewitched or something. He displays conviction, confidence, and cleverness without even a hint of irony, and that’s what makes him come across as the stupidest man in existence. Carmen Machi’s no-nonsense act is fascinating, and that’s what makes you root for Eva. The rest of the supporting cast is great as well. I have no complaints when it comes to the acting department. All in all, this is a solid investigative thriller that doesn’t rely solely on the preposterousness of the story and puts an effort into drawing parallels between the central criminal duo and modern men and women who are knowingly or unknowingly emulating them without thinking about what lies at the end of the road. If that sounds like a recommendation, feel free to give A Widow’s Game a watch and share your thoughts in the comments section below.
