Recently, a new series from the creator of "House of Paper" hit Netflix. I've heard a lot about him, both positive and negative things, but haven't seen him yet. Maybe someday I will make up for it, although I am not really encouraged by the fact that its level is allegedly uneven, i.e. one season is great, another weak, then good, bad, good, etc. I don't like to spend time on such series, when I start watching something, I prefer such a series not to go below a certain level. Well, unless it's a short series, like the latest production of Alex Pin (to have 2 seasons, 16 episodes in total), I can turn a blind eye to it.
"Sky Rojo" is a slapstick comedy full of action, beautiful women, in which there is no shortage of fast cars, profanity, drugs and a pinch of information about the situation of prostitutes in Spain and a shallow insight into their psyche. It's such a crazy mix, twisted like the works of Quentin Tarantino. Exaggerated vulgarity and brutality mixed with heroes made of well-known and liked (or not) clichés. In addition, non-chronological narrative (presenting flashbacks and current events), as in "Orange is the New Black" or "Kill Bill", is watered with a huge amount of cartoonism that just spills out of the screen. Yes, I think I summarized the show more or less well, and now a few words about the plot.
There are 3 heroines who work as enslaved prostitutes in one of the Spanish brothels. They are ordinary women who had a normal, though often poor, life with no visible prospects for its improvement. As a result of various events, they end up in a brothel as sex slaves and are forced to carry out various perversions. More often those that cause more pain than pleasure. One day, one of them painfully injures a pimp and their crazy journey through Spain begins. Or, in fact, an escape from the two thugs working for him. The photos show very nice areas, the music creates a great atmosphere, as well as presents different scenes quite boldly. Eg drug use, pretty ladies, brutality and sexual violence. It is worse with the scenario that does not offer the viewer much, except for eye-catching, nicely shot scenes, nice views and fast pace of action. I don't think it's a bad thing, but I'm not a big fan of this kind of cinema. Actresses work well in their roles, but are not too ambitious creations, and neither are the series itself. They are charismatic, I have no complaints about their acting skills, but I am a bit bothered by their exaggerated creations with the content presented in "Sky Rojo". It wasn't there, human trafficking and sexual violence are a disgusting topic, and the creators present it like a short stay in some prison for an insignificant crime or something. We do not have a deeper psychological impact or too many negative effects of excessive heavy drug use. Just an ordinary cinema for relaxation.
I'm not an expert on this subject, but the show is pretty good at capturing the realities (or at least some elements) of this "industry". Alphonsus sends his men to different parts of the world to find the right women. She uses psychology for this, uses manipulation, advertising it as an allegedly well-paid job as a waitress, dancer, bartender, etc. Suitable women in this context mean pretty and those who will not break down too quickly (or preferably not at all) because of the services that will be they have shown + there will be a hook on them with which they can be blackmailed if they want to run away or complain to the police. Often such a hook is, for example, money that is regularly sent to the family for silence or the risk of killing them, as a daughter (or son, because boys are also taken to brothels, although less frequently) will appear. This practice has been going on for thousands of years in an almost unchanged form. I say it almost because, apart from the insignificant nuances, tools, patterns of behavior, it all looks the same. As centuries ago, also today, women from Ukraine, Poland, etc. are kidnapped in this way. However, these are rarer cases, because today it is easier to fall into the number of cameras that track our movements, ease of communication and electronic equipment constantly connected to the Internet. This was not the case before, so it was easier to get to the border without being noticed. Today it is better to invest a little more cash, give it to the family and seduce the girl. Or, post a job overseas waitress, fruit work, and the victims themselves will fall into the trap. I have already written several times about these situations and mechanisms on my blog, when I commented on the case of Magdalena Żuk or the suicide of a famous model who worked as an exclusive whore for Polish mafiosos.
Coming back to the series, despite the cartoon-comedy style and the rather loose presentation of this problem, everything I wrote in the paragraph above is in "Sky Rojo". Sometimes we see what I wrote about literally, and sometimes we get it in the form of various acronyms that people interested in illegal prostitution and related topics will understand. By this convention, the series is admittedly light and pleasant to watch, but it detracts from the seriousness of the problem and presents it as an experience that, in fact, is not that scary. Sure, the show probably didn't have the ambition to tell a serious story intended to change viewers or somehow affect them, but some may be offended by this inconsistency. She did not exaggerate me, because I saw a review of the first four episodes on the Jakbyniepaczeć channel and I knew what I would get, so I did not experience such a shock.
All in all, it's a fun entertainment cinema. As if I saw Patryk Vega's films, but directed several times better, with a larger budget and better-led actors. As I wrote in the review of "Justice League", such productions are also needed. Ordinary, casual and stupid entertainment, but in an attractive form or addressing unusual topics, is also important. You cannot constantly watch movies that require focus and following the plot in order not to get lost during the screening. In this regard, "Sky Rojo" is doing very well and we had a good time with his girlfriend. The episodes are not long (one episode lasts 22-31 minutes), so you can swallow the whole thing in one evening or divide it into two slightly longer sessions. For me, 7/10 and I will definitely be happy to watch the second season. I hope it won't be continued. At least not with these actors and with a different plot.