The phone numbers of González, Aznar, Zapatero and Rajoy
The Movistar+ platform has just released a documentary miniseries reviewing the terms of the four living former presidents of the Spanish government. The telephone company par excellence also had the subtle irony of titling it. The last call, understanding that power always resides next to the last phone that rings: the one in the president's office.
In the four episodes, one for each president, they sit the protagonist in a comfortable leather chair for an interview, simulating a retro-style office around him without hiding the fact that it's a stage show: the three-act spectacle of politics.
The series is gripping and interesting, but it has flaws in the construction of the story. The orchestral music is overly present to add majesty, but there are too many sad violins in specific passages. There's also an overly preconceived idea about the loneliness of power. But worst of all is the voiceover. Despite being sporadic, it's annoying because it's so friendly that it delves into evaluative and emotional aspects. It goes beyond a common thread that describes what happened and ends up being invasive regarding the viewer's reflections. It's naive, sometimes crude, and so subservient to the protagonist that, journalistically, it grates. Each episode, beyond the voice of the former president, is complemented by trusted people from his term: family members, ministers, secretaries, or assistants. People close to him who support the main discourse. It's very symptomatic how, in the case of the socialist presidents, there is a certain gender parity in the voices. On the other hand, alongside Rajoy and Aznar, all are men. Well, not all. The exception is Ana Botella, to add the element of tears.
With Felipe González, the way the GAL case is addressed is ridiculous. Nor is the reason for his decision not to wipe out the ETA leadership in France explained. With José María Aznar, in just the first minute of the episode's introduction, the word Spain It appears, written or spoken, up to eight times. Aznar comes to say that the 11-M attacks were to screw him electorally, and the story is very forgiving about the end of his term. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is the one most often confronted with his mistakes and weaknesses, but his management of the economic crisis and the end of ETA are very engaging. The episode about Mariano Rajoy takes on comedic overtones, and the narration defines the Process as "a problem of feelings"The former president of the PP ends up considering the independence movement to be something of the Catalan bourgeoisie, and the episode at the polls is unmissable:"There were no significant movements of methacrylate worldwideWitnesses are unable to justify the images of October 1st, and a climate of internal defeat emerges.
Since there's a look back in all four episodes, there's less pressure to maintain appearances. Well, they're trying to sell us a parallel reality.
