‘Raising Voices’ Netflix Series Review - Smart Drama Featuring Excellent Nicole Wallace and Clara Galle

There is so much that is good about Raising Voices (aka, Ni una más), but the one thing that emerges as the show's biggest strength from the beginning itself is the chemistry between Nicole Wallace and Clara Galle, as well as their performances. The two actors step into the shoes of Alma (Wallace) and Greta (Galle), who we learn are inseparable best friends. You don't have any trouble buying into this relationship because Wallace and Galle share such an easy-going attitude with each other that you become convinced they are also real-life best friends. Notice the affectionate gaze with which Greta/Galle beholds Alma/Wallace (and vice versa) near a swimming pool during someone's birthday or any scene focusing on these two characters. They talk with the casualness of long-time friends who have grown comfortable with one another's presence. Even their dirty jokes and sexually explicit conversations are comically charged and uninhibited (Alma: "What should I wear?" Greta: "I don't know. Something that's easy to take off."). Their words, their gestures, and their presence generate a free and easy rhythm. You smile when you look at them. Wallace and Galle are so good that they transcend the show's clever writing and plain aesthetics.

Aïcha Villaverde, as Nata, has a petite face and a smile, which, with minor changes, can announce this character as either a foe or a friend. If Villaverde's Nata, a third wheel in Alma and Greta's friendship, doesn't become as memorable as the other two friends, that's because her character is made to do things that stretch the boundaries of believability only to arrive at a very predictable and rushed conclusion. Nata's behavior seems less natural and more dictated by plot requirements. This can feel frustrating, considering how smart Raising Voices is and how sensitively it narrates its story (based on Miguel Sáez Carral's novel of the same name). I confess the series didn't work for me very well initially. The clichés like a video going viral and a girl being met with contemptuous gazes while walking down the school's corridors lead you to believe you are about to watch yet another teen drama about how high school is nothing but hell. Add to it the banner from the opening scene that says, "Beware! A rapist is hiding in there!" and you think you have settled in to watch something along the lines of 13 Reasons Why.

Alma is the person who hangs that banner. Thanks to this introduction, you, at first, watch most of the scenes between Alma and other men with a sense of apprehension. These men, ranging from Alberto (Gabriel Guevara), Nata's boyfriend, to two drug dealers, exude rapey vibes, but you mostly suspect boys from the school because of the words written in the banner, which indicate that the rapist is present inside the campus. For the first couple of episodes, I felt uncomfortable by the fact that a harrowing incident was being used as fodder for suspense. And by calculatedly putting Alma in discomforting situations (her domestic life is filled with angry noises, so she chooses to ride with creepy men instead of turning back), I felt that the show is trying to increase tension in a cheap way. But then, you can also see these events with a different lens. By surrounding Alma with eyes that are lecherous, Raising Voices might be telling us how women generally see their environment. This thing about perspective can be clearly observed in that scene where Alma's father, Pablo (Eloy Azorín), complains about how Alma has always been a selfish child, and through brief point-of-view images, you understand he has merely seen his daughter's rage and not the reason behind it. Similarly, Alma only notices her father's exasperation, not the (buried) affection.

In a show that manages to make you consider one thing through different lenses, it's maddening to find someone like Nata whose actions, after a point, stop making sense. Yes, there are women who fail to free themselves from toxic relations, but Nata's thread feels as artificial as that of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart's titular character. Alberto, though, wears a cute, puppy dog expression to express regret and somewhat convinces you why Nata would continue talking to him even after so many terrible incidents. Nata's parents control her life to such a great extent that she unleashes chaos outside with her boyfriend. Nata feels jealous of Alma and Greta's friendship. She hates it when they don't invite her to a party, leading her to almost flirt with the idea of revealing Alma's location to her parents. Alma and Greta tell each other everything, yet they are not your typical movie best friends. They don't instantly disclose all the secrets over a phone call or face-to-face conversation. It takes Greta a few weeks to tell Alma about her relationship with an older woman. Alma, on the other hand, informs Greta about something when she feels comfortable after many days (Greta, nonetheless, instantly suspects something wrong occurred with her friend after their night at a club together).

About that "something." It doesn't stop Alma from dating, hanging out with her friends, or having fun in general. This is the show's way of saying that life goes on, no matter what happens or how horrible the event(s). Raising Voices will more sharply look like a "hangout" series without the gloom of rape. There are many scenes here where characters just leisurely talk and listen to each other. Take the chats between Greta and that older woman. On the surface, it seems as if "nothing is urgently driving the plot forward," but that's simply deception as so many things develop through their conversations. Since most of the boys come across as perverts, David (José Pastor), Greta's brother, is inserted with the label #NotAllMen. Netflix has asked me not to reveal certain spoilers, which seems fair because Raising Voices is best enjoyed fresh. A twist regarding an Instagram account might be too obvious, but it neatly ties in with the message "Perverts are present in plain sight." Netflix is commonly criticized for releasing mediocre, forgettable Originals. Shows like these, however, remind you that the streaming service can also give you something pleasant and enjoyable. To counter duds like Fake Profile, Anthracite, and Avatar: The Last Airbender, we have winners like Ripley, Baby Reindeer, and Raising Voices.

Final Score- [8/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times
Note: All eight episodes are screened for this review.
Premiere Date: May 31, 2024, on Netflix