Tremembé has become a big hit but it has also sparked controversy with one of its real-life subjects
Prime Video has transformed some of South America’s most infamous real-life crime stories into its latest streaming sensation with Tremembé, a tense, high-gloss drama that takes us inside the gates of Brazil’s unofficial ‘celebrity prison’.
The series revisits cases that once dominated newspaper headlines – from Suzane von Richthofen to Elize Matsunaga – housing them under one roof and illustrating how alliances, rivalries and shifting power dynamics moulded daily life within the facility.
Behind the drama, the real crimes were notorious. Von Richthofen was convicted in 2006 for masterminding the murders of her parents, Manfred and Marísia, executed by the Cravinhos brothers in 2002.
Elize received a sentence for murdering and dismembering her husband, businessman Marcos Matsunaga, in 2012, later alleging she had endured domestic abuse and sharing her account of events in a Netflix documentary.
Alexandre Nardoni and his then-wife Anna Carolina Jatobá were found guilty in 2010 for the death of six-year-old Isabela Nardoni, who fell from the sixth floor of the family’s flat. Among them was also Sandrão, whose long-term relationships with both Elize and Suzane made her one of the most influential inmates inside Tremembé, reports the Express.
Their intersecting lives – all serving lengthy sentences within the same prison complex – form the backbone of Prime Video’s dramatic retelling.
The calibre of acting has already taken centre stage in early critiques, with IMDb users singling out Marina Ruy Barbosa’s portrayal of Suzane, noting she “gives an outstanding performance… masterfully capturing her mannerisms and gestures seen in real-life interviews”.
Letícia Rodrigues’ interpretation of Sandrão was described as “truly remarkable”, while another critic lauded the actress playing Elize Matsunaga as “truly unforgettable… intense and subtle at the same time”, observing that the understated gestures and emotional control “feel incredibly real”.
The Cravinhos brothers and Alexandre Nardoni have also been commended for performances characterised as “authentic and believable”, with one viewer remarking that the entire ensemble delivers “a strong sense of realism and emotion”.
Viewer reaction has been equally striking. Tremembé rocketed straight to the top spot on Prime Video Brazil within its opening weekend and has already established itself as one of the platform’s most significant domestic launches to date.
Exact viewing numbers haven’t been released for commercial reasons, but the streaming service has reportedly told producers the series surpassed all internal expectations, according to Variety.
However, backlash emerged almost straight away. Cristian Cravinhos, who served time for his involvement in the Richthofen killings and is now free, condemned the show on social media, alleging numerous scenes were invented.
In the series, Kelner Macêdo’s character is depicted managing a complicated relationship with his brother Daniel and initiating a romantic liaison with another inmate. Following his claim that the show is “full of lies,” he was publicly contradicted by journalist and author Ullisses Campbell, whose investigative work served as inspiration for the scripts.
