The Netflix series that puts an uncomfortable mirror to us

The rise of the far-right is no longer just evident in election results. We already notice it in television talk shows, in comedy shows, in uncomfortable after-dinner conversations, in WhatsApp groups, and even in meetings and assemblies related to children's schools. The series "Salvador", on Netflix, arrives at an opportune moment to reflect on how fascism's tentacles have infiltrated our daily lives. Actor Luis Tosar plays Salvador, a healthcare professional who discovers that his daughter is part of a neo-Nazi group. The man, disappointed, will want to understand the reasons that have led the girl to such an extreme, so opposed to his convictions.The eight-episode series is addictive because it combines two complementary skills: that of Aitor Gabilondo, a creator expert in stories where political and social conflict penetrates the domestic sphere, and that of director Daniel Calparsoro, who masters the codes of the "thriller" set in contexts of violence.

The focus of the plot on an ultra-right group is uncomfortable due to the characters' aggressiveness. But it's worth delving into the story because what initially seems distant is not so much. The series delves into social and cultural dilemmas without resorting to black-and-white portrayals. Rather than creating tensions between good and bad, it explains the complexity of the threads that move the protagonists. In the plots, we recognize many of the social conflicts we see in the news and in our neighborhoods. Salvador begins on the eve of a Champions League match at the Bernabéu, considered high-risk, where the ultras of Madrid and Olympique de Marseille have agreed to a confrontation. But football is just the excuse. The series will show us everything that exists beneath this cover. Ties with drug trafficking, control and blackmail of nightclubs, complicity with police and judges, businessmen acting as patrons, and contacts with far-right political leaders. We discover how the ultras coexist with our daily lives and the strategies they use to attract new followers, taking advantage of desperation and economic and emotional vulnerability. We see how the videos found on social media are recorded and go viral, and the strategies they use to manipulate social discourse. Salvador is a very well-crafted police thriller on a dramatic level. The performances are very good and the script manages conflicts, twists, suspense, and drama very well. But the story's ability to become a mirror of our present is what makes it grow. It's as if the series constantly dialogued with the viewer, reminding them that the story they are watching has to do with what happens beyond the screen. In the sixth episode, there is a very tense scene of a dinner at a businessman's house, where the host delivers a speech about media and social manipulation that leaves you glued to the sofa. Salvador is a sad story, but it puts a magnifying glass on our present. We don't like what we see, but it wants us to understand what, at times, we find incomprehensible.