“The Secret of the River”, by Mexican director Ernesto Contreras, sweeps Netflix for its intriguing and emotional plot. In addition to telling a story of friendship, the series makes visible muxes, known as the third gender in the Mexican state of Oaxaca.
What is the Netflix series “The Secret of the River” about?
“The Secret of the River” follows two childhood friends, Manuel and Erick, whose lives are forever entangled after witnessing a tragic event and feeling guilty.
Manuel arrives in the state of Oaxaca to spend his vacation with his grandmother and there he meets Eric, the son of his mother’s best friend. However, Eric’s father opposes the children’s friendship because, from his point of view, Manuel is different from the other children.
And Manuel begins to discover his own identity when he meets the muxes, which in Zapotec culture are those people who are born with the male gender, but think of themselves as women and take on female roles.
What is the secret that Eric and Manuel swear to keep in “The Secret of the River”?
During the wedding of Eric’s uncles, Anna and Sergio, a terrible event occurs. Erick’s father Jacinto abuses Manuel and the little boy runs away into the river.
Sergio also goes towards the river that goes into a cave and sees Manuel passing by so he follows him because he wants to abuse him. Fortunately, Eric arrives in time to help his friend. The fight escalates until Sergio falls into the river, hits his head and dies.
Shocked by what just happened, Manuel and Erick promise not to talk about it. However, Orlando, the police officer investigating the case, links the children to Sergio’s death.
During the investigation, Orlando is visited by muse Solange, who tells him about Sergio’s history of abuse and tells him that he probably tried to take advantage of Manuel at the river. The officer, thinking of his own daughter, closes the case.
Later, Manuel goes to live with his father in another state and is separated from Eric for several years. After going through very difficult times, running away from home and arriving in the United States, Manuel can finally show himself to the world as he is: as a woman. So, he returns to the city as Sicarú.
The Explained Ending of “The Secret of the River”
At first Eric, already a man, does not want to resume his friendship with Sicaro, but changes his mind when he anonymously receives the bracelet that Manuel lost in the river on the day of Serigo’s death.
This accessory could implicate them both in the seemingly forgotten case. It is then that Eric begins to spend more time with Sikaru, until he receives another threatening letter.
Later, it is revealed that Sicarú herself was the one who sent the bracelet to her childhood friend, in order to restore their relationship. However, the letter was not sent by him, but by Ana, Sergio’s widow, who was unable to get over her husband’s death.
In the end they explain to Ana what they cooked that day at the river and, learning the truth, she realizes that she didn’t know Sergio well, so she decides to put the past behind her.
On the other hand, Sicarú, with the help of the muxes, recovers the house where his grandmother lived, while uncovering a child trafficking network that used this house for these nefarious purposes.
At the end of it “The Secret of the River” The friendship between Erick and Sicarú seems stronger than ever. Eric moves on with his life with his wife and they are expecting a child, while it is implied that Sicaru adopts Emiliano, the child he saved from child trafficking. Well, after temporarily returning home to the United States, she returns to town and reunites with him.
But it’s not all happiness, because apart from Sicarú, Erick, his wife Paulina and his aunt Ana, there are two other people who know what happened to Sergio and both are involved in child trafficking: Braulio, the policeman who abused Sergio as a child Sicarú (Manuel) and his accomplice, Felipe. They could use this secret to get revenge on Eric and Sicaru, and Braulio might have told other people.
Source: univision
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
