Ricardo Barreda case revisited through new film and biography

The case of Ricardo Barreda, the dentist responsible for a notorious quadruple femicide in Argentina, remains a significant point of cultural and social discussion. A new film titled ‘Barreda’, released on Prime Video, reconstructs the murders of his wife, two daughters, and mother-in-law, as well as the subsequent trial that impacted the country in the 1990s.

The film seeks to shift the narrative away from the perpetrator, who has often been treated as a dark cult figure or subject of jokes in popular culture, and instead focus on the victims: Gladys McDonald, Elena Arreche, Cecilia, and Adriana.

In recent years, Barreda maintained a level of media interest even after his sentence was considered extinguished in 2016. Journalist Pablo Marti Krenz, who worked closely with Barreda toward the end of his life, is preparing a biography titled ‘No me olviden’ (Do Not Forget Me) to explore the human behind the criminal figure. Barreda died in May 2020 at the age of 84.