sirenau

Am watching the show in Spanish on Telemundo and so far I have really liked it. It's not original by any stretch of the imagination but so far it has been really good at keeping the intrigue going with the investigations of the predominant criminal case and side cases. It knows how to hook the viewers in. And thankfully it knows that the mystery around the investigations as well as a very likable cast is what will keep us hooked to the story because unfortunately the story is not as good around it's characters as it is the mystery. I would say am more than halfway through the first season and am starting to notice that the story is falling a little short around the character development. Like there is not a single character on this show that stands out so I would be shock if any of the actors get nominated for any awards for this show because there is just not enough in the script for the actors to deliver a compelling performance. And this is weird to understand because if you watch the show, each new crime investigation is directly tied to the majority of the main cast. The cast is well represented on screen so it gives the impression of growth but if you look at the characters from who they are in the episode where the killer of the girl in the suitcase case is revealed and where I am now, in the episode where the killer of the girl in the suitcase appears to have been poisoned in prison, you will notice that the majority of the growth was already established and that the mystery around each crime investigation is the driving force of the storyline. The actors do very good at showing good vibes in their scenes but that's about it. Is not a deal breaker by any means but it's a little disappointing to see the story fall into that pattern when it started so strong off the gate. Like I said, am probably half way through season one so there is more than enough room for things to continue taking turns. But I will say, more than anything else, the issue that I am encountering as the show moves along is the dependence on telling versus showing as well as seemingly major obstacles being resolved by pure coincidence or the favorite go to of the show, very high definition cameras that just happened to have been placed at the perfect spot to capture exactly what was needed to resolve the conflict. And you might say, well these people are cops so they have access to all those security cameras. Yes and you would think that would result in most crimes being resolved fast but what am complaining about is that those cameras will or won't be there depending on what the story needs. Anywhos, prepared to take a bunch of leaps when watching this show. And I do recommend it. I myself am also enjoying the build up of the relationship between the two main characters. I like that it wasn't a love at first sight thing and that the story has taken efforts to show that they are truly compatible with each other. But again, with that said, and this one is also weird considering what I just wrote but the main characters do not have a lot of romantic chemistry. Like they work very well together and it's interesting to see their dynamics as they solve crimes but when it comes to the romance just be glad that it won't really effect much of their interactions or the dynamic. Like their romance is just there and the story wouldn't change a thing because of it. And while am talking about the things I dislike about the show i cannot leave this review without putting out there that the sheer abuse of power by the people who work in the court and police officers is wild lol. I know the story wants us to believe they are doing the right thing when they use their power to hide things partaining their personal lives but these characters could easily be read as villains and as matter of fact, in very few instances the show has shown how that abuse of power has greatly affected others but the only one that has any consequence (for less than an episode) is what happened to one of the main characters father. Like right now am in the storyline where the guy that got poisoned in prison is blackmailing the majority of the main cast with revealing their secrets. The vast majority of those secrets are crimes they each committed or help to hide the crimes of someone they are close that committed the crimes. Like I don't feel bad for that 😂. Am actually offended at their offense. I like my morally ambiguous characters but not when the story doesn't realize the characters are shady af and frame their actions as positives or worthy of being absolve just because it was their secrets being used by someone who has done worst then they have. And to cap this, a few words on the character actually being acknowledged as the villain of the story. I love Turkish dramas because they don't shy away from exploring the worst of characters and specially the villains who are typically shown to often have been victims themselves in their youth resulting in the person they are today. This drama goes the down the same path with less success due to failings I mentioned earlier around the characters and the dependence on telling rather than showing. The story tells us, and very early on it actually bothers to show us, that the villain is psychology scarred due to having spent his entire life being treated inhumanely by his father and not protected in any way by his mother who continues to pick his father and the life of luxury he provides. We even learn that his father at some point had him admitted in a psychiatric hospital for months and that even as an adult his father continued to verbal abuse him and deminish his worth. So when we learn how it was that he came about killing the girl, it was no surprise. Am not in anyway blaming the girl but that whole scene where we see her die could be read as a traumatic response to the girl essentially taking the place of his father. However, by the point I am now in the story, all of this has been left on the road and what we have is just a demented man determined to take the people who put in him prison down with him. As a matter of fact his father, the same one that has been abusing him practically since birth and all around POS is now being viewed as a somewhat victim of his son. I have hope that this will continue to develop as the story goes on, specially now that the story introduced some criminal cases around parental neglect and family violence, because I will be very pissed if the show ends and that man is not in a jail cell. Like death isn't enough punishment (for me at least because seemingly every character in this show is willing to commit murder if the person they believe wrong them is not punished in a way that satisfies them) for the abuse that man inflected on his son.

Saw this movie in NYFF. It might not have been the best movie in the festival but so far, it is the only movie I have felt a deep connection and involvement. I connected great with the story and the characters and I felt the knife in my heart by the time the credits rolled. I've never seen any of the directors previous work but he did mention during the Q and A that it was very different from his other work which are apparently very violent. This is not a violent movie in the traditional sense of blood and gore but the emotional violence I felt inflicted on me is more real than a sea of blood. This movie is an excellent blend of a detective movie and a romance story. How this man managed to do merge these genres so well and make it so that practically everything that happens in the story is relevant to the plot and the characters is beyond me. Clearly this man has a blessed hand because even with the heartbreak i will still buy this movie when it comes out and rewatch it many times in the future.