Netflix's latest Mexican series El Secreto de Río or The Secret of the River follows two young children in a small village named Oaxaca in Mexico. The series goes beyond a mystery-thriller as it also focuses on gender identity, especially exploring Muxes in Zapotec culture.
As the title suggests, The Secret of the River is about two boys, Erik and Manuel (who later becomes Sicarú), who encounter a terrifying situation at the river that leads them to bury a dark secret. The series also includes real trans women and muxes, highlighting their representation and culture.
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However, there has been confusion about whether the Mexican series is based on a book titled The Secret River or has a completely different narrative. For those who have been looking for an answer to this, Netflix's The Secret of the River isn't based on any book and is created by Alberto Barrera along with his co-directors.
The novel The Secret River is written by Kate Grenville and follows the story of an Englishman named William Thornhill sent to Australia over a theft.
What happens in Netflix's The Secret of the River?
As previously mentioned, The Secret of the River begins with a young lad, Manuel, visiting his grandmother Rafaela in her village in Oaxaca. Unlike most of the children, Manuel shows up without his family, as his mother is moving to the U.S. for her job.
He is received by Erik and his mother, as Manuel's mother is close friends with Erik's. The two young boys take no time to form a great bond and start hanging out in the village. However, Erik's father Jacinto, being a typical man, does not like Manuel as he does not behave like a stereotypical man.
Jacinto views Manuel as delicate and less masculine and tells Erik to stay away from him. However, Erik has already formed a loyal bond with his new friend, and he chooses to ignore his father's warnings.
Their friendship faces the biggest test during a wedding ceremony in the village when Erik's drunk uncle Sergio tries to assault Manuel near the river. Erik reaches on time and helps Manuel get rid of Sergio.
Erik hits Sergio, and the two try to escape him, but Sergio accidentally falls on a rock and injures his head. This incident results in Sergio's death, with Erik and Manuel making a pact to keep this a secret forever.
The police found Manuel's bracelet at the river in The Secret of the River
After the incident, Manuel and Erik go back to school, where they face comments about Manuel's identity. When a group of students bullies Manuel, he and Erik teach them a lesson and go to the sea afterward.
Since The Secret of the River also focuses on the Muxes community, in which members are born as males but do not feel themselves and choose to live as women and carry out similar tasks, Manuel is intrigued by the community, especially its leader Solange, and keeps interacting with them.
As seen in the series, the Muxes are incredibly kind and welcoming and are a part of the Zapotec culture. As the series progresses, Erik finds out that the police have found something at the river while investigating Sergio's death. They both sneak into police chief Orlando's house to find out what he has found against them but get caught.
Later, it is revealed in the series that the officer finds Manuel's bracelet and the boys' fingerprints on Sergio's body. The police chief knows that Erik and Manuel are involved in the murder and visits Solange for advice. The Muxes leader reminds the chief about Sergio's bad reputation and history of abusing kids.
Solange claims that the boys were trying to defend themselves and did not have any evil intentions that day. The police chief becomes convinced and empathizes with Erik and Manuel, as his daughter is of the same age and is also friends with the boys. So, instead of making it hard for them, police chief Orlando stops the investigation.
Manuel embraces her identity and reconnects with Erik
The Secret of the River takes a time jump, and we see Manuel transition into a beautiful woman, Sicarú, while Erik continues to struggle with the dark secret. Sicarú returns to the village to honor Solange, who has passed away, leaving her community members with memories of her.
After reaching Solange's house, Sicarú finds her bracelet and plans to send it to Erik with a letter. She wants him to remember their friendship and the memories they made. Erik initially pretends not to know Sicarú but later reconnects with her.
Sicarú helps Erik overcome the guilt of Sergio's death, and they both spend a great time together. Sicarú also discovers child trafficking in the village and even rescues Emi, a victim of abuse. The Secret of the River ends with Sicarú adopting Emi and making him comfortable in joining the Muxe community.
The Secret of the River is streaming on Netflix.
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