Burning Body (El cuerpo en llamas), the 2023 Spanish crime-drama series from Netflix, is inspired by real events that shocked Barcelona in 2017. It unfolds through a tangled narrative of murder, betrayal, and forbidden relationships among members of the police force. At the center of the storm is Rosa Peral, a woman whose personal and professional life collide in ways that blur the line between victim, manipulator, and suspect.
Rosa, portrayed by Úrsula Corberó, is the series’ main character—magnetic, complicated, and emotionally unpredictable. Her gender is not incidental to the story; it is part of what drives the public and narrative fascination with her character. As a woman in a male-dominated police environment, Rosa occupies a space of tension—expected to be composed, desirable, and loyal, yet judged harshly when her private life doesn’t align with those expectations.
Úrsula Corberó plays Rosa with intensity and subtle control. Her beauty is integral to how the world in the show responds to her—often sexualized, misunderstood, or underestimated. With expressive features, dark eyes, and a commanding presence, Rosa is frequently seen through the dual lens of desire and suspicion. The series does not shy away from emphasizing her attractiveness, but it doesn’t let her be defined by it. Instead, her beauty becomes a tool within the story—used by others, used by Rosa herself, and ultimately questioned by the audience.
The show carefully constructs Rosa’s femininity as layered. She is not portrayed as purely seductive or manipulative, but as someone trying to navigate the complexities of love, loyalty, motherhood, and identity in a system that rarely grants her grace. Her relationships—with both men and institutions—are strained by control, jealousy, and double standards. Her beauty draws attention, but it also brings scrutiny, making her both powerful and vulnerable in equal measure.
Burning Body presents Rosa as more than a symbol of scandal—she is a woman whose life, choices, and image are constantly being reshaped by the people around her. Her gender and appearance are central to the way she is perceived, but the show invites viewers to look beyond that—to consider how a woman becomes a character in someone else's narrative, and what it means to reclaim that story for herself.
