Cardo

• Cardo is a fantastic series precisely because of what is hardest to sell in a marketing campaign: its meticulously precise screenwriting and directing that matches its ambition. Within its apparent rebellion, there is an affinity for classic, crystal-clear storytelling and communicative efficiency that keeps María's journey from getting trapped in the treacherous pitfalls of autofiction.

• When you watch Cardo, you get the feeling that after many attempts, Spanish television has finally found a millennial series that is authentic, unfiltered, and delivers a straight punch to the gut. Ana Rujas and Claudia Costafreda confront reality head-on, creating a narrative overflowing with anxiety, sadness, truth, and lingering hangovers, born of painful personal experience. You can tell it is a lived-in story, crafted with an uncompromising auteur vision free of conventions.

• A generational portrait of profound dramatic depth, 'Cardo' has been one of the television revelations of the year as a mirror constructed from realities as intimate as they are universal, as close as they are hazy, and as excessive as they are tender. Hangovers, phone sex, dawn breaking outside an after-party, tears among flowers, and impossible resurrections.

• The newcomers build an organic and credible chemistry alongside Rujas, who stands out as a genuine star bringing María to life. The imperfection of that character transfers to the series itself, which, despite closing with a somewhat disorienting ending, never betrays itself just to please people. Take it or leave it, that is 'Cardo': a biting, courageous tragicomedy that will hopefully trigger an earthquake across the industry.

• 'Cardo' aims very high as the auteur series that it is and, while it does not always hit the mark, it succeeds remarkably well in its depiction of a broken toy. Viewers may like it more or less (I found myself firmly in its favor), but it is undeniably as authentic as it is brave.

1 / 5