The 43

This docuseries disputes the Mexican government's account of how and why 43 students from Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers' College vanished in Iguala in 2014.

The 43 (2019) is a Mexican documentary docuseries created by Matías Gueilburt for Netflix. Across two feature-length episodes of roughly seventy-six minutes each, it revisits the night in Iguala in 2014 when 43 students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers' College vanished. Rather than following a single protagonist, the series is driven by its investigators and commentators, including journalist Anabel Hernández, writer Paco Ignacio Taibo II, and researcher John Gibler, who appear on camera to test the official government account against testimony, evidence, and the families' persistent search. Its engine is the question of what happened to the students and why the state's version holds together so poorly. The tone is sober, angry, and deliberate, with a journalistic rigor that recalls investigative true crime. Viewers who appreciate Making a Murderer, The Staircase, and Cartel Land will find the same blend of forensic scrutiny and political outrage. Set in 2014 Mexico against the backdrop of the drug war, the film-like docuseries is an unsparing, emotionally heavy look at impunity and institutional failure.

Audiences rate the docuseries mixed, with viewers drawn to its forceful challenge to the official account of the Ayotzinapa disappearances.

• Making a Murdererinvestigative documentary dismantling an official state account, political violence and impunity
• The Staircasetrue events docuseries on institutional failure and disappearances, serialized investigative structure
• Cartel LandLatin American state violence and drug war documentary, journalistic exposé tone

Created by

Matías Gueilburt

Release Date

2019-02-15

Episode runtime

76 min

Rating

7.0 / 10 (58)

What is The 43 about?

A two-episode Netflix docuseries that challenges the Mexican government's account of the 2014 disappearance of 43 students from Ayotzinapa.

What is The 43 like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The 43 as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as dense.

Is The 43 violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The 43 as moderate.

What did critics think of The 43?

Audiences rate the docuseries mixed, with viewers drawn to its forceful challenge to the official account of the Ayotzinapa disappearances.

Which shows are like The 43?

Shows with a similar feel include Making a Murderer, The Staircase, and Cartel Land.

How long is The 43?

The 43: 1 season, 2 episodes.

Is The 43 still running?

No, The 43 has ended.

Where can I watch The 43?

In United States, The 43 streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.