Why is Ilary Blasi's documentary so bothersome?

"I want to tell you my story, a little bit about myself and a lot of things you don't know." So proclaims Ilary Blasi in the trailer for Unica, the Netflix documentary in which she takes us inside her marriage to Totti and describes step by step how she went from a coffee with a mysterious man to the end of a love story that has left half of Italy in a tizzy like nothing since the parting between Albano and Romina. The documentary series, available on the streaming platform since 24 November, is one of the most watched titles of the moment and confirms the popularity of the format, in which celebrities become absolute protagonists even on the small screen, and the voyeuristic streak that lurks in each of us. We want to know. We want to watch. We want to criticise. And, if possible, enjoy those who seem to have it all and suddenly, for whatever reason, fall off the pedestal.

Ilary Blasi's revenge documentary

Revenge should be served cold. When the other person least expects it. And Ilary knows that very well. After the hagiographic My name is Francesco Totti, after the former footballer's interview with the Corriere della Sera in which he hoped for a reconciliation with his ex-wife, and after almost two years of speculation and rumours about the Italian royal couple's turbulent divorce, it is now Mrs Blasi's turn to describe what happened from her point of view. The presenter's truth begins with a shared coffee in a flat near Milan railway station between her, a friend and an unknown man who accuses Totti of the worm of jealousy ("I'm not as good as you. I'm like this, I can't get this coffee out of my head") and triggers toxic hyper-control behaviour ("He gives me a choice. He tells me, 'In order for me to trust you, you must never see Alessia (the girlfriend from the infamous Coffee of Discord) again, you must leave the social scene, change your number and then stop working.' I had to choose between my life and her life. I chose me.") "And from then on ... a disaster." The former footballer "on the couch, watching the farewell (to football) on loop"," Totti denying cheating with Noemi Bocchi (never openly named by Blasi during Unica), Francesco's double life, which the whole of Rome knows and "forgives", Ilary's discovery of the private detective's secret affair, the divorce, the hidden, found and controversial purses and Rolex watches, the misogynistic portrayals in the press ("They practically called me a whore and a thief" and the tabloids in which she is "the former letterina" and he is "the champion").

Ilary's dignity

Unica is Ilary Blasi's revenge film, many have thought and written. And in the end they are not wrong. Ilary never flinches, she is certainly moved, but she is ironic. Above all, she speaks calmly and decisively, refuting the insinuations of the press point by point and perhaps giving the audience a little "tell-tale" information, but also gags from Italian comedy, such as when, to get confirmation of Totti's betrayal, she goes with her sister under the house of her ex-husband's alleged mistress and accidentally comes across her Porsche, or when she goes on a treasure hunt in the house to find her possessions hidden by the retired sportsman. The intention of being "one of us" is clear: someone who was so in love and happy that she denied the betrayal she suffered and then one day wakes up and says enough is enough. But despite everything, Ilary emerges victorious at the end of the documentary series. Even more so as she doesn't deny anything at the end and admits that she would do it all again because "it was a wonderful 20-year marriage" and she only wished that the man she shared half her life with would admit the truth that he had another, the love was over and it was time to go her separate ways.

The reactions of Totti and Fabrizio Corona

Totti and those who like to fire back at both. There was also no shortage of reactions to Fabrizio Corona's claims that the presenter had not told the whole truth, but had only painted the ex-husband in a bad light and glossed over his alleged "mistakes" and cheating. At the same time, he promised new revelations and affirmed that he had been right all along and that the infidelities on both sides of the former paparazzi king that had been uncovered in the past were genuine. And Totti? The former Roma number 10 limited himself to a terse "Do and say what you want." Probably a reaction agreed with his legal team while he waited for the end of the legal dispute with his ex-wife.

Between voyeurism, sisterhood and guilty pleasure

As soon as it was released, Unica inevitably secured itself a place among the most-watched Netflix series of the moment. The reason for this is curiosity. Everyone wants to take a look behind the seemingly gilded lives of celebrities, especially when it comes to betrayal, scandalous revelations and spy parodies (and who would have thought?). The news? This time, no one is afraid of appearing trashy or frivolousə by admitting to this guilty pleasure. Sharing opinions and even some sisterhood with Ilary Blasi has become last week's favourite sport. Like when you side with the friend who was cheated on by her boyfriend and is glad she can go her own way. Being free to tell her story as she sees fit.

If you liked Unica, try this documentary too

You've seen Unica and want to see more documentaries about women? We recommend five:

• Pamela Anderson. Pamela, a love story: The actress tells her story "from childhood to hell", the famous stolen sex tape that changed her life.
• Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields: The film, which screened at the Sundance Film Festival, documents Shields' entire life, from her relationship with her mother to her friendship with Michael Jackson to her career as an actress and model, including intimate, never-before-made confessions, such as being sexually abused by a Hollywood professional when she was in her 20s.

• Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me: Selena Gomez shares with her fans a six-year journey through the pressures of fame, battling depression, anxiety and a chronic illness.

• Taylor Swift. Miss Americana: Director Lana Wilson, who also made the documentary about Brooke Shields, shows us a new version of Swift, different from the naive, obnoxious, perfect little girl we all thought she was.

• Paris Hilton. This is Paris: what's behind the original social media influencer? Paris shows us.