Is The Snow Girl on Netflix based on a true story? We discuss the Spanish series and whether or not the story is based on real and true events.
The mysterious disappearance of Amaya Martin, daughter of Anan and Alvero Martin, is the focus of the Netflix thriller The Snow Girl. After the incident, police are puzzled by the absence of a ransom demand, and the news comes to the attention of an intern at the local paper, who decides to take matters into her own hands and go in search of the story.
When a videotape does eventually arrive, things start to take an even darker turn. This twisted tale is, unfortunately, one that viewers are familiar with, and the authentic feel of the events has led many to speculate that it may be based on a true story, so here at Ready Steady Cut, we have decided to take a closer look to ascertain if The Snow Girl on Netflix is based on a true story.
Is The Snow Girl on Netflix based on a true story?
The Snow Girl, the original title La Chica de Nieve, is a Spanish-language production with six episodes. The show stars Milena Smit as the reporter that seeks the truth about the disappearance of five-year-old Amaya at a Christmas parade in Malaga. However, the disturbing tale is actually based on a book written by Javier Castillo that was first published in 2020.
His novels have quickly earned him many accolades, and it would not be long before offers to adapt his work would be rolling in. Although seemingly authentic, the story is from a fictional novel and is not based on true events. So, no, The Snow Girl is not based on a true story, despite its realistic depiction of a heinous event.
What book is The Snow Girl based on?
Castillo is on record saying that the idea of The Snow Girl came to him at a moment when he found himself on a walk with his wife and young child, and upon releasing his young daughter’s hand, he had a moment of anxiety as he pondered the horror of something happening to his own daughter. This moment of abject existential terror led to the writing of the novel La chica de nieve, which would be adapted into The Snow Girl.
Is The Snow Girl worth watching?
On IMDB, the current rating for the series is 6.9/10, and on Rotten Tomatoes, the show has an audience score of 90%, so it is doing reasonably well as far as those sites are concerned. On this very site, the show has a 3.5/5 rating, stating that the show is “A tough watch but is a well constructed and compelling crime thriller.”
The no holds barred thriller does seem to be looking to emulate the hugely popular Nordic Noir genre, but locating it in Spain does raise some minor problems. Although this is a solid attempt, it has to be said that the location and weather of Spain do not lend themselves to this style as much as those grey and despondent Nordic landscapes.
With Spain being associated with sunshine, some tone and mood have to be worked at to begin to compete with other such shows. It is also notable that Netflix has also shown interest in other such novels with similar themes that they are interested in adapting. It seems that the general consensus is The Snow Girl is worth watching if you are a fan of this genre, although some say that once the initial mystery has been presented, the show slowly slides into soap opera territory.
