Alice Oscura, Featured Writer
Good Morning, Verônica is a Brazilian tele-web series created by Raphael Montes and directed by José Henrique Fonseca. It is on Netflix but don't fear, it is available with English audio in case you don't like to read subtitles.
Verônica Torres (Tainá Müller) is a police clerk who works at a homicide station in São Paulo. Her seemingly uneventful life is turned upside down when a young woman visiting the station shoots herself in front of Verônica and she receives a mysterious call from another woman named Janete (Camila Morgado) desperately seeking help. She becomes passionately involved in assisting to solve the two cases. Verônica is clearly talented at sleuthing and forges ahead despite the lack of support that she receives from her superiors and co-workers (except for the I.T guy and the Chief Coroner).
The series looks like its main intention is to approach the subject of not only domestic abuse but of all violent acts against women. The main character Verônica has a loving husband and is the mother of two very intelligent kids, however, she does have a dark past connected to events concerning her father that always seem to pull the character's confidence down a bit. Other than that, she's a solid protagonist with a righteous point of view to carry the series' highly feminist themes.
Whenever you are dealing with a topic that is of an extremely sensitive nature, you always have to be incredibly careful how it ends up being portrayed because you don't want to end up offending the masses. But speaking for myself as a female, I thought that it was brilliantly handled. The case that stands out the most in the eight-episode series is that of Janete (Camila Morgado) and her husband Claudio (Eduardo Moscovis). The abuse of Janete was often psychological but was also physical and insanely evil. Claudio often referred to Janete as his little bird and I couldn't quite understand why he kept calling her that at first until it suddenly dawned on me that he saw her as a bird to be kept in a cage…sick! His character is so damaged and insane while Janete having been with him since she was young is super submissive and is easily convinced that somehow, she's the cause of her husband's behavior. Morgado gives a terrifyingly realistic performance, and you keep hoping that the character she plays finds a way out of the increasingly dangerous and volatile situation. She should really be congratulated on her performance, and I think that it has achieved the desired effect.
Unfortunately, there are so many, many women in similar situations all over the world that don't have the courage to speak up about what they are going through. Janete's character does eventually seek help but she waivers back and forth because she still loved her husband despite all the terrible things that he has done. It's a type of brainwash, and the woman is meant to feel like she cannot exist without her aggressor and that her life has no meaning otherwise. There is a disclaimer at the end of each episode telling women to seek help if they are being abused. That's why I believe that the main purpose of the series is to show the dangers of staying in an abusive relationship and for women to fight for their rights in a professional aspect where you feel as though you are being demeaned because of your sex.
The series is terrifying in the way that it infuses the plot with murders, abuse and criminal conspiracy almost creating an atmosphere of hopelessness. However, Verônica is tough, smart and her heart is in the right place. The suspense is scary at times and the brutality is a necessary message to shock the audience into the horrors that go on behind closed doors. Sometimes we ignore the signs and just tell ourselves that it's none of our business. But if you put yourself in the other person's shoes you would want someone to take that step and bring it to the attention of the people who can help.
Good Morning, Verônica is definitely a binge-worthy, terrifyingly suspenseful addition to Netflix. And if you like it, there are two more seasons for you to check out.
Dark Alice Score: 7.5 out of 10
And you can check out more thrilling series below:
WHO KILLER SARA? SEASON 1 & 2 REVIEW
MY LIFE IS MURDER SEASON 4 SLAYS
THE ESSEX SERPENT IS AN INCREDIBLE, INTRIGUING MINI-SERIES
Dark Alice has an old soul and a curious mind. I believe that anyone can be a hero and that the good guys should always win! I dislike cruelty to animals and think that they have far superior qualities to humans. My motto is there is no future without the past. I also have a weird penchant for Paranormal TV shows even though the slightest sound makes me jump. I enjoy writing reviews and throwing in fun facts to pique the readers' curiosity. My ultimate goal in life would be to become a published writer one day. Read More
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