“I have just turned five. This is the last day of my childhood.”
With this sentence from her autobiographical novel, author Tamara Trottner marks the precise moment her life fractured. This memory, as intimate as it is devastating, is the starting point for No One Saw Us Leave, the new Netflix series that dramatizes the kidnapping Trottner and her brother suffered at the hands of their own father.
The story unfolds in a world as opulent as it is hermetic: the elite of the Mexican Jewish community in the 1960s, an environment governed by power, appearances, and strict social codes.
The Silent War: Plot and Context of a Broken Family
The Act of Vengeance
The series’ central conflict is sparked by an act of reprisal. Leo Saltzman, played by Emiliano Zurita, kidnaps his own children as revenge against his wife, Valeria Goldberg (Tessa Ía). The motive is Valeria’s “forbidden romance,” a transgression that ignites a fuse with unforeseeable consequences in a world where reputation is everything.
From this point on, the narrative becomes the story of Valeria’s “desperate and risky search” to recover her children. The fundamental premise of the series revolves around the question: “How far can a mother’s love go?” Her struggle knows no borders, taking her across continents in an odyssey marked by hope and determination.
What might seem like a marital dispute quickly reveals itself as a “war between two powerful families” in Mexico’s Jewish community. These families, as the book’s synopsis describes, “wield their authority and wealth to the ultimate consequences.” The conflict escalates to an international level, involving entities like the FBI and Interpol, transforming an intimate drama into a high-stakes thriller.
The Backdrop: Mexico in the 60s
The historical context of the sixties is more than just scenery. The series portrays a microcosm where “luxury and power” serve as a facade to hide deep generational and gender tensions. The choice of the Mexican Jewish community of that era is no coincidence. This environment, with its own rules and intense pressure to maintain appearances, acts as a catalyst that magnifies the drama.
Director Lucía Puenzo notes that the story forces reflection on “the constraints of patriarchy.” In such a traditional and closed society, Valeria’s transgression and Leo’s violent reaction take on a dimension that exposes the cracks in an entire social system. The setting, therefore, functions as a crucible where individual desires clash explosively with collective expectations.
Putting a Name to the Pain
The series is built around a contemporary concept to describe an ancient wound: “vicarious violence.” This term, which defines the act of using children to control or inflict deep suffering on their mother, is the thematic core of the production. The adaptation is presented, in the words of one analyst, as a “monument” to this specific form of gender-based violence.
The decision to frame the story with this term is deliberate. Co-director Lucía Puenzo calls it “the most modern theme” of the adaptation, acknowledging that while the concept is new, the practice is ancient: “It wasn’t called vicarious violence then, but it certainly existed.” This approach gives the series an undeniable relevance and urgency, preventing it from being perceived as a mere period drama.
By applying a modern lens to a 1960s event, the creators invite the viewer to participate in a current conversation about justice, trauma, and legal recognition. This connection to the present is reinforced by Puenzo’s comment that vicarious violence is something that “is only now being legislated in Mexico.” The series, therefore, not only narrates a past event but also intervenes in an ongoing public debate. The goal, according to its protagonists, is to “open a conversation” so that children are no longer used as “bargaining chips” in couple conflicts.
For Tamara Trottner, seeing her story on screen represents a form of “catharsis” and a “powerful mechanism to reconcile with the memories of her childhood.” The author has expressed her gratitude for the opportunity for her story of “pain, forgiveness, and love” to reach a global audience, giving new meaning and purpose to her experience.
Complex Characters
Valeria Goldberg: The Fighting Mother
Tessa Ía takes on the role of Valeria, the mother whose tireless search for her children drives the plot. To build her character, the actress not only read the novel but also spoke directly with Tamara Trottner, a process she described as enriching. Her performance embodies the resistance of a woman who rebels against the constraints of her environment to fight for what she loves most.
Leo Saltzman: Beyond the Villain
Emiliano Zurita plays Leo Saltzman, the father who commits the act that triggers the tragedy. However, both the actor and the creators have made a conscious effort to avoid a black-and-white portrayal. Zurita emphasizes that it was crucial to show that the story was not about “villains and heroes,” but about “imperfect people” making devastating decisions. The series seeks to explore the “loneliness and despair” that can surround fatherhood, offering a complex psychological portrait rather than a one-dimensional antagonist.
The Origin of Ambiguity
This moral ambiguity originates from the author’s own experience. Trottner has recounted that years after the event, she reconnected with her father and heard “his truth, which was as valuable and true as my mother’s.” This revelation is the key to the series’ complexity. By refusing to present a clear villain, the production forces the audience to confront the uncomfortable reality that pain and human motivations are rarely simple. The true antagonist seems to be not a person, but the destructive forces of pride, jealousy, and a patriarchal system that offers men devastating tools to manage their suffering.
A Solid Supporting Cast
The main cast is supported by a strong group of actors including Flavio Medina, Juan Manuel Bernal, Alexander Varela Pavlov as young Isaac, Marion Sirot as young Tamara, Natasha Dupeyron, Gustavo Bassani, Ari Brickman, and Mariana Di Girolamo.
A Transcontinental Shoot
The project’s ambition is reflected in its production scale. The series was filmed over six months in four countries across three different continents: Mexico (Mexico City), France (Paris), Italy, and South Africa. This international scope, described as “quite unique for a Latin American piece,” is not just a logistical detail but a statement of intent. The global shoot mirrors the plot’s themes of flight and pursuit, adding a cinematic value and authenticity that elevate the series above a conventional drama.
The Creative Team
At the helm of the project is the acclaimed Argentine writer and director Lucía Puenzo, who serves as showrunner. Her prestigious filmography, which includes titles like XXY and The German Doctor, guarantees a sensitive and meticulous direction. She is joined in directing by Nicolás Puenzo and Samuel Kishi Leopo, with a screenplay by María Camila Arias and production by Alebrije Producciones and Peninsula Films.
Format, Structure, and Premiere
The story of the Saltzman-Goldberg family will unfold over five episodes, a miniseries format that promises a dense and focused narrative.
No One Saw Us Leave is shaping up to be one of Netflix’s most ambitious Mexican productions to date. It is the adaptation of a painful true story transformed into a sophisticated psychological thriller and a timely social commentary. Through memory, intergenerational trauma, and the complexity of family love, the series addresses a fight for justice that transcends time and space. It promises to be an intimate drama with the sweep of a global epic, exploring the painful truths hidden behind the facades of power and wealth.
The series No One Saw Us Leave will premiere on Netflix on October 15.
