The Italian Show “The Trial” (“Il Processo”) on Netflix

Power and love are used to hide the truth

It is refreshing to see a serious drama that embraces a world of gender equality. It doesn’t point out characters’ genders, but rather embraces the fact that all genders are capable of all walks of life.

The Premise
Elena Guerra, played brilliantly by Vittoria Puccini, is a prosecutor who is trying to save her marriage when she is handed the case of a murdered 17-year-old girl named Angelica Petroni, played by Margherita Caviezel. Elena intends to work on the case for a few days and then leave the country for a year with her husband.

But early in the investigation, Elena discovers that Angelica was adopted. In the search for Angelica’s real parents, Elena realizes that she is Angelica’s biological mother.

Elena knows she should hand the case over to another prosecutor, but the link to her former life weighs heavily upon her. She decides not to tell anyone, including her husband, and move forward as the prosecutor. Though she knows that giving up her newborn was the right decision when she was 18-years-old, the guilt of Angelica’s death and the secret Elena has kept for 17 years is overwhelming.