'Living to Love' Review: Spanish telenovela is an action-packed entertaining watch with swoon-worthy romance
Netflix has been investing in all kinds of content lately, and with a majority of its audience homebound amid this coronavirus pandemic, the platform has introduced a myriad of entertainment. But here's a treat for Spanish enthusiasts and lover of telenovelas or Spanish soap operas, an addicting addition to its vast-ranging library, 'Living for Love' (Alternative: All for Love; Spanish: Amar Y Vivir). One of Colombia's classics, it is a remake of a 1988 telenovela by Caracol Television, and Netflix gained its redistribution rights earlier this year.
The original series starred María Fernanda Martínez and Luis Eduardo Motoa in the lead roles and aired for a period of two years, at a time when the country was threatened by extreme violence at the hands of various cartels. Through the nuanced love story of Irene (Martínez), a fruit-seller and aspiring singer and Joaquin (Motoa), a former military officer- turned capo, at a time when the future seemed bleak, 'Amar Y Vivir' became a form of escape in every household. It was also one of the most successful and highest-grossing soap operas back in the day and it single-handedly managed to change the stratum within Colombian telenovelas that up to that point had heavily focused on the themes of wealth and affluence. Thirty years later, it was reprised and the 69-episodic series was aired on television between January and April 2020. The new remake stars Ana María Estupiñán as Irene Romero and Carlos Torres as Joaquin Herrera, the protagonists.
'Living to Love' revolves around an aspiring songstress, Irene, who along with her market-place band 'Los Milagosos' dreams to make it big in showbiz. So the one thing you can expect throughout the series is some soulful and scintillating Spanish crooning. Joaquin is a former military officer, who quits the army and moves back home to help his mother and sister with their small farm. However, following a series of unfortunate events, Joaquin finds himself all alone in the city restlessly looking for his younger sister. While looking for his sister, who has been living under the radar as a stripper, Joaquin has a chance encounter with Irene and the two cross paths as they work towards their personal goals. In the process, they find themselves falling madly in love with each other.
Irene counts her blessings with every opportunity she gets to showcase her talent, while Joaquin on the other hand, falls into the wrong crowd while trying to make some money on the side just until he can find his sister. Irene steadily climbs the ladder to success, and the same goes for Joaquin, only that he is on the wrong side of the law. Although these differences weigh in on them, the two are unwilling to separate from each other and are determined to fight the forces against them and live their happily-ever-after. But the journey is not easy at all, danger lurks at every corner and the two must get past many perils and withstand the tests of fate.
'Living to Love' is a telenovela in all its dramatic glory. In that, it checks all the boxes in its list of characteristics that acutely distinguishes it from any average drama you've seen before. For one, there is a definite story arc, central to two star-crossed lovers who must push through various obstacles and problems that approach them if they want to end up together. So you can expect an intense swoon-worthy romance or a betrayed ex-lover and her thirst for revenge. Commonly the nucleus of a telenovela plotline comprised the four R's, namely, romance, rivalry, revenge and redemption, and 'Living to Love' has an abundance of all four. Furthermore, it touches upon staple subjects like family, marriage, politics, and business, with a healthy dose (in this case it is more of an overdose) of mafioso and narcos affiliations.
Another important detail to note when it comes to telenovelas is the over-the-top plot twists, cliff-hangers, long stretched-out scenes that are bound to have you at your wit's end. Yet you'll be glued to your seat despite the several dozen episodes, because of just how addicting it can get and so, we don't recommend a bing-watch. There are also moments where you'll have to pause the series for an occasional breather because the drama can get pretty exhausting. Although 'Living to Love' follows your typical cliched storyline, it unfurls an unusual yet thrilling love story between a heroine and an anti-hero. But it still culminates with a happy ending, instilling once again that honest and true love conquers all.
While it doesn't give room for criticism seeing as telenovelas are solely for entertainment purposes, the 2020 version of 'Amar Y Vivir' did come off a bit of a disappointment, especially to long-standing fans who watched it 32 years ago. It also wasn't of much relevance to them. At a time when the visual industry was just developing, coupled with the events transpiring in Colombia, the telenovela was produced with intricacy and the utmost attention to direction and dramatic detail. But that was supposedly lost in the remake, where the realism, credibility and authenticity that had been the core of the predecessor dissipated.
In a nutshell, 'Living to Love' managed to evoke amusement among the new generation audiences and aroused nostalgia with mature audiences who were practically rewatching the original series, but in a more modern setting.
'Living to Love' aka 'Amar Y Vivir' is now streaming on Netflix.
