# Demente (2021)

> After their son is kidnapped, a Chilean couple finds that every member of their extended family may hide a motive in this soap-tinged mystery.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/99396

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 140
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, mystery, crime
- Created by: Pablo Illanes
- Network: Mega
- Cast: Benjamín Vicuña, Paz Bascuñan, Francisco Pérez-Bannen, Patricia Rivadeneira, Andrés Velasco, Ingrid Cruz, Gonzalo Valenzuela, Daniel de la Vega
- TMDB rating: 7.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14127760/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: dense
- Violence: mild
- Tone: melodramatic, tense, suspenseful, intense

## What critics say

Audience reception is positive, with viewers rating the single season highly for its suspenseful kidnapping mystery and family-secret twists.

## Synopsis

Demente is a Chilean soap-inflected mystery series created by Pablo Illanes for Mega. Its single season of 140 episodes, each around thirty minutes long, follows Teresa Betancourt (Paz Bascuñan) and Joaquín Acevedo (Benjamín Vicuña) after the kidnapping of their son Mateo. Their grief quickly turns into suspicion as the wider family group, from Teresa's relatives to the household's own circle, reveals hidden agendas. Officer Gonzalo Leiva (Francisco Pérez-Bannen) and Inspector Javiera Cáceres (Ingrid Cruz) push the investigation forward, while Flavia Betancourt (Patricia Rivadeneira), Emiliano Betancourt (Gonzalo Valenzuela) and Dante Covarrubias (Andrés Velasco) each look like possible culprits. The engine is a steady accumulation of revelations, false leads and family betrayals, with each episode adding a new layer of motive. The register is melodramatic and tense, built on the emotional stakes of a missing child and the cramped intimacy of a family under siege. Its serialized soap structure, dense with cliffhangers, will appeal to viewers who enjoy telenovela-style storytelling and whodunit puzzles. Fans of Big Little Lies, Pasión de Gavilanes and The Killing will find resonance in its blend of domestic melodrama and suspicion.

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