Netflix has produced some Brazilian content before, but this is the first time they bet on a soap opera genre with ‘Desperate Lies’. Even though the genre is oftentimes criticized for the unrealistic portrayals of real life and the excessive drama, soap operas have proven to be an audience favorite and have great following due to its endless entertaining plot lines and ‘Desperate Lies’ most definitely keep you on the edge of your seat at all times. Nothing better than a highly binge-worthy show and ‘Desperate Lies’ is exactly the show to binge.
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‘Desperate Lies’ follows Liana (Juliana Paes), a woman who goes through the rare condition called heteropaternal superfecundation, which is when a pregnancy with twins from different biological fathers occurs. Liana has always dreamed of having a child with her husband Tomás (Vladmir Brichta) and they have been trying for a while, but everything changes the night she discovers that he was being unfaithful in their marriage. Her best friend, Débora (Martha Nowill), convinces her she has to go out and get with another man. That night, Liana is the victim of sexual assault, making the situation a thousand times worse than it already is. Not long after the assault, she takes a pregnancy test and receives the news that she will be a mother of twins. Liana is now worried and needs to know if the babies are her husband’s or her assaulter’s, since she had intercourse with both on the same exact day. To erase any doubt, Liana takes a paternity test and finds out each baby has a different father. She will try her best to keep her very particular situation a secret, but it will be harder than she expects.
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The show managed to break the national “bubble” and gain an international audience and following. In less than a week, the series occupied the top 10 in over 70 countries as it stood out not only in Brazil, but also in countries such as Argentina, Portugal, Kenya, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Slovakia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Uruguay and Venezuela. This success is a testament to the universal appeal of well-done storytelling.
Juliana Paes gives one of the best performances of her career as Liana, her ability to physically portray someone reliving something traumatic is just remarkable. Maurício Farias’ direction also deserves praise for the way he directs the narrative, keeping the audience involved from beginning to end.
The contemporary melodrama has its audience divided. People have expressed their disappointment or approval on social media. Some are frustated, accusing the show of mishandling sensitive topics and having extremely outdated viewpoints. Others are impressed by the incredible performances, how connected they felt to the characters, how binge-worthy the show was, with the endless emotional rollercoasters.
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Soap operas (or “soaps”) are serialized dramas, characterized by their continuous storytelling, focusing on the emotional side of their characters. Soaps are mostly known for being extremely dramatic and emotional, almost to a fault. You learn in the early stages of storytelling that the conflict is the most important point of a story, the driving force; and soaps are all about conflict. Soaps have a very significant cultural impact worldwide: from the United States’ ‘General Hospital’ and the United Kingdom’s ‘Coronation Street’, to Mexico’s ‘Cuna de Lobos’ (English: Cradle of Wolves) and Brazil’s ‘Avenida Brasil’ (English: Brazil Avenue). Known in Latin America as telenovelas, soap operas are a staple of serialized drama, evolving with changing media landscapes while managing to retain their main appeal of emotionally charged stories. Should we be glad soaps are making a comeback in our streaming services? I know I certainly am. Shows like ‘Desperate Lies’ represent this shift, combining traditional soap opera elements with contemporary storytelling techniques.
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As a Brazilian, I do enjoy my fair share of melodramatic telenovelas and the show has delivered a great show with very compelling storylines, characters that feel like real people and great performances. I also can’t deny that some of the audience’s frustrations are not unfounded. There are very delicate topics being addressed and explored in the series and the way they were handled can be rather frustrating and unsatisfying at times.
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‘Desperate Lies’ is a series that, despite the negative criticism, deserves to be given a chance. The series represents a very significant part of the cultural aspect of Brazilian productions and shows that Netflix has got potential in producing soaps, reaching global audiences and earning their hearts.
Cast: Juliana Paes, Vladimir Brichta, Felipe Abib, Palomma Duarte, Martha Nowill, João Vitti, Yohama Eshima, Antônio Grassi, Bento Veiga, Enzo Diniz, Theo de Almeida, José Beltrão, Pedro Manoel Nabuco, Agatha Marinho, Vitor Valle
Cinematography: Fabio Burtin, Chico Rufino | Editor: Helena Maura, João Barbalho, Livia Arbex, Fernanda Pacheco, Guilherme Porto, Paulão de Barros, Rodrigo Menecucci
Director: Maria Clara Abreu, Vicente Barcellos, Maurício Farias, Clara Kutner | Writer: Angela Chaves, Laura Rissin, Marina Luísa Silva, Guilherme Vasconcelos | Producers: Cecília Grosso, Luiz Noronha, Patricia Zerbinatto
By Julia Maia
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