A little over five years ago, on the beloved Islàndia of RAC1, Elvira Moral explained how she was abandoned, along with her siblings, at the Estació de França in Barcelona. It was 1984 and they were only 2, 4, and 6 years old. She turned to the radio looking for people who could provide clues about her biological parents, to reconstruct the past. Albert Om stirred things up and now, Carles Porta finishes the job in Abandonados, on Disney+. A story structured in four chapters that, despite the unease the case arouses, evokes great tenderness. Beyond the search for the parents, which is addictive and surprising, Abandonados moves you with its underlying plot: the affective bond between three siblings who have processed their trauma very differently.
The first chapter presents the protagonists and the starting point of the investigation. Abandonment, adoption by extraordinary parents, and the very few memories of their previous life. Forty years have passed. Throughout the series, we will see how these flashes of memory will gain substance. It is one of the most powerful points of the series: the connection between a vague memory, almost like a dream, and contrasting reality. The prior work of fostering the drawing of the images that have remained in memory is a success. The role of Marisa, the adoptive mother, is key. Generous, but prudent, aware of the delicacy this search requires, she will appear throughout the series as a pillar of security. To face the following chapters, the photographic montage that pays homage to their childhood and the process of growing up as a family is comforting. The second and third episodes condense the investigation process with a very powerful and surprising element: the crucial collaboration of a series of people – women – who, following the story they heard on the radio, decide to help. It recalls the spirit of the magnificent Don't f**k with cats (Netflix), where an entire community woven through the internet organizes itself in an investigation process. Not only is the amount of information they find unprecedented, but the range of endearing characters who will participate in this journey is also fascinating. The way clues and new contacts are discovered, how these recall new fragments of these creatures' lives, is breathtaking. Perhaps at some point it becomes too obvious that they are preserving part of the story to make it more intriguing television-wise, and this makes the viewer not understand why certain questions are not asked, which will later be resolved.
is the process of emotional repair and strengthening the bond between the three siblings.Abandonados is the process of emotional repair and the strengthening of the bond between the three siblings.
