Corruption. Violence. Nudes. Shots. drugs. Saintone of the new Netflix series, offers it all through a drama that alternates between personal conflicts and the spectacle of some action scenes. Ernesto Cardona, played by Bruno Gallasso, and Detective Millan, played by Raul Arevalo, are the protagonists of a story set between Madrid and Brazil, where the search for a drug dealer is a common thread.
AT Saint many legends and real facts related to drug trafficking seem to be grouped together. From people who change their face, to the networks they weave in the police, or the results that suffer those who integrate into these worlds and then try to leave. The six part series doesn’t work in that sense because narcos; but he winks a lot in relation to real events.
One aspect of the comparison should be clarified. narcos uses links to make up a fictional story with an infamous documentary background. This structure is not so obvious in Saint. Is this a problem with the show? Not unless the viewer enters the story with that intent. Without the need for this structure, his characters manage to put together an interesting plot of tension.
Netflix and the risk of stigma
Productions about the drug trade are becoming a kind of subgenre within the drama and action movie. The underlying phenomenon could be narcosat least on Netflix. From this work, this universe, full of blood and drugs, reached the mass audience, became a kind of pop reference. So, in terms of business and content, why not move in that direction?
Saint may come from this interest. A captivated audience in relation to stories in which drama, explicit violence and the drug trade are constantly in dialogue. The risk involved in trying is to saturate this space with offerings that have no distinctive value., besides entertainment, and brand the space in which they take place. It is no coincidence that one of the locations is Brazil, another Latin American country marked by inequality, drug trafficking and blood on the streets.
Series based on this country Saint He also explores the religious profile of Brazilian culture and the favela landscape. His villain Santo leads a gang of drug dealers with tribal interests. His moves are not only for revenge, leadership in the zones or for crisis management; they also promote a story that eludes the plane that contains the drug. Meanwhile, Detective Millan is playing with fire.
Saint and two sides of the coin
Ernesto Cardona takes on the case with the intention of solving it, even if it could cost him his life. In this attempt, failures or conflicts of interest leave him vulnerable to the cartel. The Netflix series attempts to build a character from this location, although the time jumps and momentum present in the story can be confusing. Cardona finds himself in a situation where he can’t trust anyone. Coming and going between moments Saint tells how he got to that world, as well as his interest in spirits.
If the series wants to serve as a kind of cultural or anthropological essay, that might work.. In the sections in which the story takes place in Brazil, everything she describes feels believable, backed up by good photography and convincing execution. On the contrary, Detective Millan, told from Madrid, leaves more doubt. Between the two worlds, legal and criminal, his life little by little disintegrates. Both characters are haunted by their past and the shadow of a figure who is spoken of as God: “Can’t you feel it?” is one of the most frequently repeated dialogues of Barbara, played by Victoria Guerra.
The slope of time jumps
Sometimes it seems that the role of Barbara femme fatale. While the story of the other two axes of the story is told with time and detail, her (and Susie, in the shoes of
Greta Fernandez) should have had more screen time. The actress not only convinces, but also seduces the viewer, while trying to see what is happening to her, why this faith, why this connection with something forbidden. Until, as in other cases, it turns out that an event from the past plunged her into the bowels of that universe with her own God.
Saint this is a series that between drug trafficking, sexuality and religion tends to dissipate; possibly due to an editing issue and abuse of time jumps. This last resource sometimes obscures the story it wants to tell: how, driven by different interests and traumas, one and the other are part of a power struggle that goes beyond them. Perhaps because of previous changes, the result is confusing, weakening the story he wants to tell, perhaps because he wants to cover too many aspects in this journey, including winks at the horror that allows us to discover what kind of Facade of the drug is sect. The full series will be available on Netflix starting September 16, 2022.
