Her husband kidnapped her children and she turned to the Mossad to get them back: the true story of Nobody Saw Us Go, the great Netflix hit

Since its premiere in Netflixthe Mexican miniseries Nobody saw us leave was gaining ground in the field of conversation: it is the most viewed non-English speaking channel in the world, according to the top 10 of the platform. Did you know that it is based on a true story?

The conflict of Nobody Saw Us Go is revealed when Valeria Goldberg (performed by Tessa Ia) from one day to the next she discovers the disappearance of her husband and children. That is when he undertakes a search that crosses borders and social reputations.

The miniseries is the adaptation of the autobiography of the same name by Tamara Trottnerwhich narrates the parental kidnapping that the author suffered in Mexico in the 60s.

The series places the plot in that place and at that time, and through time jumps builds the family history of Valeria and its connection with Elijaha former Mossad agent who now works as a private investigator, to try to get his children back.

The project combines management of Lucía Puenzo, Samuel Kishi and Nicolás Puenzowith a script Maria Camila Ariasand add to Emiliano Zurita, Juan Manuel Bernal, Natasha Dupeyrón y Flavio Medina in the distribution.

Emiliano Zurita in the leading male role. Photo: Netflix

From here hay spoilers of the plot of Nobody Saw Us Go.

A family conflict that went further

Tamara Trottner He was born into a prominent family in the Jewish community in Mexico. His parents (with the fictitious names of Leo and Valeria in his novel) came from two very influential families who had sealed a marriage alliance in the early 1960s.

Although initially it seemed like a stable marriage, over time it became conflictive: Leo discovered that Valeria had a secret relationship with his own brother-in-lawthat is, with a close family member. This event unleashed a deep crisis.

Author Tamara Trottner wrote «No One Saw Us Go» inspired by her own story. Photo: Instagram

In retaliation for the “betrayal” – and supported even by Valeria’s father – Leo planned extreme revenge: kidnap his two young children and take them out of the country with false passportscutting all contact with the mother.

This decision would give rise to one of the most shocking cases of family kidnapping in Mexican history of that decade.

Kidnapping and international flight

The opportunity to carry out the plan occurred during Tamara’s fifth birthday, in 1960. Taking advantage of the celebration, The father kidnapped Tamara (5 years old) and her younger brotherthus beginning his escape with the children.

The little ones did not immediately understand the situation: Their father made them believe that they were going on a trip and that their mother had simply not wanted to accompany them.hiding from them that they were actually being kidnapped.

In the days and months that followed, Leo kept up this charade: every time Tamara or her brother asked about their mother, he told them that she no longer wanted to see them or that she had abandoned them. He even faked phone calls in which the mother supposedly reaffirmed her disinterest, all in order to emotionally manipulate the children and prevent them from insisting on returning home.

Tamara Trottner, the protagonist of the true story, with a copy of her book. Photo: Instagram

These actions, which today would be identified as vicarious violence (using the children to hurt the mother), They left deep psychological wounds in Tamara and Isaac.

Under the father’s custody, Tamara and her brother were close to two years moving from one country to another. The odyssey began in Europe: they were taken first to France (where Leo deceived school authorities by saying that the mother was unstable and dangerous), and then they passed through other distant destinations.

The fugitive family lived in different places in Italy, South Africa and Israel, staying in each place long enough to avoid detection. Meanwhile, Tamara and Isaac, confused and still believing in their father, saw how that “trip” continued indefinitely far from their home.

A tireless search

Tamara’s mother never gave up on her search. From the moment his children disappeared, he moved heaven and earth to find them. He hired private detectives and followed every possible lead around the world.

However, he faced enormous obstacles: in the early 1960s there were no clear laws on parental kidnapping, so it was not legally considered a crime for a father to take his children without the mother’s consent.

Valeria had to fight against this legal vacuum, the indifference of the authorities and the public opinion of the time, which sometimes took sides or minimized her situation.

Through it all, she persevered for months that turned into years, determined to reunite her family. Finally, the effort bore fruit: Valeria managed to locate Tamara and her brother in Israel, where the children were living temporarily (even in a kibbutz, according to the story).

Finally back with his mother

A local judge reviewed the case and ordered that the children be returned to their motherrecognizing Valeria’s right to recover them.

However, in a final dramatic twist, before the delivery was completed, the father escaped again with the little ones. Leo took Tamara and Isaac back to Mexico and kept them hidden for a while, relying on the anonymity his home country gave him.

Tessa Ia stars in the series of the moment. Photo: Netflix

However, the father’s luck finally ran out: a person recognized the children behind a fence in the house where they were hidden and immediately notified Valeria.

Thanks to that anonymous complaintthe authorities intervened. Thus, approximately two years after the initial abduction, the mother was able to reunite with her children and put an end to the nightmare.

Tamara Trottner and Isaac were finally released from the family kidnapping situation, returning to their maternal home.

The reunion with his father decades later

After the rescue, Tamara grew up in the care of her mother and, over time, rebuilt her life as best as possible. His biological father was practically out of his world since then.

Nearly 30 years passed without any contact between Tamara and her father, until in her adulthood it occurred an unexpected reunion. In the early 1990s, Tamara Trottner saw her father again, ready to confront the events of her childhood.

That meeting was full of complex emotions: on the one hand pain and reproaches held back for decades, and on the other hand the need to find closure and understand his father’s motives.

Tamara expressed to him the deep damage he caused them by making them believe that their mother did not love them, and confronted him with that pending question: “How dare you make us feel like Mom didn’t love us?”.

At the same time, she was able to hear her father’s version of why he made that terrible decision to separate them from their mother, something that as a child she never knew for sure.

That dialogue with his father, after 30 years of silence, marked a turning point in Tamara’s life. Although there was not full forgiveness towards him, the act of confronting him and knowing “his truth” allowed certain wounds to begin to heal.

According to Tamara herself, understanding her father’s perspective – however disturbing it was – helped her redefine her personal history and reconnect with aspects of herself that had been fractured in childhood.

The official poster for Nobody Saw Us Go. Photo: Netflix

A notable detail is that his mother had never spoken ill of his father during all those years, avoiding transmitting hatred or resentment. Therefore, much of what Tamara knew about the events came only from diffuse memories and her mother’s moderate story.