Walking in the Madrid metro, before the usual stop at the Cafeteria Buenos Aires, I was very intrigued by the big signs with the face of Pedro Alonso with the Eiffel Tower in the background, also because I missed the announcement of this authentic television event. It was therefore a must to make up for lost time and devour all in a row the 8 episodes of the French spin off of the Casa de Papel.
Carefully avoiding spoilers, let’s see how much of the atmosphere and effectiveness of La Casa de Papel was transported to the German capital and how efficiently the operation was completed. Of course, these are personal opinions and impressions, more or less shared depending on the tastes and sensibilities of each spectator and cinephile.
Among the positive aspects of Berlin there is certainly Berlin itself, understood as the protagonist, who together with Damian pulls the strings of the other characters for 8 episodes, without excesses and smudges. The impetuous and somewhat crazy charm of Pedro Alonso is flanked and contrasted by the reflective wisdom, often vacillating, of Tristán Ulloa, with a combination that finds in their "performance" at the wedding its peak.
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A + is also up to the rest of the cast, Cameron, Fernandes, Keila, Camille, Roi and Bruce, who animate a criminal team with strong human veins and lives marked by life and previous mistakes. In the characterization of the characters perhaps there could be a greater effort, also avoiding an excess of mystery that then vanishes predictably and perhaps even disappointing. And the unexpressed intensity until the end of the attractive voltages between some of the band components is perhaps somewhat artificial in the long run.
Pleasant also the setting that, apart from interior and underground, shows some glimpses of Paris that contributes to giving character and intensity to any type of film. Perhaps the city could be enhanced more, albeit as a backdrop, striving to look for some inspiration in areas less known but still effective even cinematically.
After the choice of the song Bella Ciao per la Casa, for the prequel he focused on something less demanding, uncomfortable nothing less than Albano Carrisi. This may seem like one of the less effective choices in the overall construction of the series, but the final exhibition in Berlin and Damian does justice to the decision and also explains the sympathetic and unusual encounter between Pedro and Albano.
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Among the less convincing aspects there are some characters that, while playing discreetly the role cut out for them do not seem to take off fully, providing the success of the series a marginal contribution and lower than initial expectations.
But the biggest problem in Berlin, which really risks making the prequel of The House of Cards a House of Cards, is the excess of the McGiver effect and the excessive similarity to the narrative dynamics of the mother series. In the sense, when McGiver (a character of the last century who solved all kinds of situations with improbable tools) started a car with a paper clip, he could still accept it. But when he took down a nuclear bomber with a hairband, you had some doubts. In the same way, it is good that the Parisian characters of Berlin know how to do a lot and deal with any situation, if you push too hard you risk encroaching on the X man prequel.
If it is true that one could not expect a clean and absolute cut from the umbilical cord with La Casa de Papel, a greater effort of autonomy and development of the plot would have made Berlin the television event I imagined while having breakfast at Cafeteria Buenos Aires.
Illustration by Gloria Dozio - Acrimònia Studios
Photo by Marco Squadroni
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