Netflix-based series ‘Back to 15’ follows the story of a thirty-year-old woman unhappy with her life who finds a way to go back in time and wake up as her 15-year-old self. The series is now streaming on Netflix.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Summary
The show starts in the year 2006. The viewers observe a young, reckless Anita. It’s her first day of school. She is on her laptop trying to make a Photoblog account. Her sister Luiza is knocking on the door, shouting at her to get ready.
There is a time-lapse, and we are back in 2021. Anita is all grown up now. Her mom’s call reminds her that it’s Luiza’s wedding today.
We meet her best friend Henrique at the wedding, saving her from an awkward situation. Anita seems to be attracted to him. He asks her about her life in Sao Paulo, making her run away in panic.
She stumbles across Carol, one of her cousins. They chat for a while, and Anita goes to the washroom. She sees Eduardo, Carol’s husband kissing another girl as she is returning. After confronting him, Eduardo tries to make a move on Anita.
Anita gets really mad and starts shouting at him. This gathers everyone’s attention at the wedding. Luiza gets angry at Anita for creating a scene. She tells her to grow up and stop acting so immaturely.
Anita is very hurt and rushes back to her childhood room. Anita is hit with nostalgia and logs back into her Photoblog. She thinks that if she could go back in time, she’ll do everything differently, and the next thing viewers see is that she is 15 again.
Anita panics after seeing herself in her 15-year-old body and thinks it is all a dream. She realizes her dad is still alive and rushes to meet him. But he leaves for the trip before she can reach him.
Since it’s the first day of school, Anita and her friends Carol and Henrique are scared of hazing. Until she realizes that she is reliving her past and can manipulate it using her experience.
Soon they get caught by a senior, who takes them to a circle of shame. Anita is very scared and wishes to wake up from this nightmare. But she realizes that mentally she is not 15 years old and has much more confidence. She stands up against them and bullies them in return, making no sense because two wrongs don’t make one right.
Anita ditches Henrique for other plans and goes to pierce her ears with her new friend, Cesar. She posts a photo of them on Photoblog, and suddenly, she is back in 2021. Grownup Anita realizes that her ears are still pierced and whatever had happened wasn’t a dream.
Present-day Anita is having a hard time adapting to all of this. Her friend, Camila, who used to go by Cesar previously, has now become a crucial part of her new life. A small change in the past seems to have modified a lot of things.
Anita is really excited about her new life, as she seems to be doing a lot better in this one. She opens Photoblog again to check what she had done and goes back in time again.
This time, Anita has a mission to save her cousin Carol from her future husband, Eduardo. With the help of Fabricio, Eduardo’s friend, Anita tries to break their relationship. This ends up badly, and Carol gets in an accident.
Anita is upset by how the event has turned and unsuccessfully tries to go back in time so that she can stop the accident from taking place. Fabricio also starts blackmailing Anita and wants her to hook him up with her sister.
Joel discovers Anita’s and Fabricio’s plan and tells it to everyone. Anita later tries to help Cesar with his relationship with Leo but ends up messing everything, and Ce is left alone.
Carol learns the truth about Anita meddling with her relationship and is disheartened. Anita goes back on Photoblog, posts a photo of Carol on it, and returns back in time.
But everything is different, her house has changed, and there is no sign of Camila. Present-day Anita also seems to be in a relationship with Joel. Carol and Henrique are also married now.
Anita doesn’t likes this new reality and goes back on Photoblog and travels back in time.
Anita’s Dad is finally back from the trip, and she is excited to see him again. She tells him about everything that’s happening, and he suggests she stop meddling in other people’s life. She and Henrique go to Carol’s church together, and Anita tries to make things right between them. The three then go to Cesar’s house, and Anita tries to apologize to him too.
They try to mend things with Leo, but he is rude to them. They leave his house, and the four friends have a group hug.
Anita has a talk with her sister, and Luiza goes on a date with Fabricio. They kiss later. Anita starts chatting with Joel and worries that he might know her time-travelling secret.
If you have any doubts from the ending, here’s a full breakdown.
Back to 15 ending explained in detail:
The day everything went down the hill
Henrique and Carol decide to go to the party together. Anita helps Cesar get ready for the party. The birthday party is in full swing, and everyone is enjoying themselves.
Anita is worried that Joel might be onto her secret and tries to hide from him. She spots Carol and Henrique together and gets visibly jealous. Fabricio sees Luiza kissing her boyfriend and is upset too.
Douglas, Luiza’s boyfriend, gifts her a costly bracelet, but Luiza doesn’t seem to like it very much. She doesn’t vocalize her opinions though.
Fabricio sees the entire thing and is visibly sad. Anita tries to cheer him up, and Henrique sees them together and gets bitter. Carol joins him, and they kiss but decide to stay just friends.
Joel spots Anita, Henrique, and Cesar on the dance floor and joins them. He tries to hang out with Anita, but she turns him down. He is heartbroken.
Fabricio gives Luiza a handmade dolphin sculpture as a gift. He tries to kiss her, but she rejects him. Still, on the dance floor, Leo approaches Cesar. He apologizes to him, but Eduardo comes and makes fun of both of them.
Leo and Eduardo get in a fight, and Cesar is badly hurt. Fabricio starts the fight again, and Luiza throws Eduardo out of the party.
Anita ices Fabricio’s injury, and Henrique watches the entire scene sadly. Cesar runs after Leo. He begs him to give their relationship a chance, but Leo is reluctant. The pair kiss, and Leo tells him that he is Theo, Cesar’s online boyfriend.
Cesar is left alone and is heartbroken. Joel comforts him and dances with him. He later accidentally falls into the pool. Anita helps him and apologizes for her harsh words.
He tells her that he knows she has a secret and already knows that he was gonna fall in the pool. But he tells her not to worry because he won’t force it out of her.
They cut the birthday cake, and Fabricio makes a scene. Luiza is very upset and runs away. She fights with her mom, who is troubled by what Fabricio implied in the party.
Douglas is alone in the bathroom when Carol walks in on him. She gives him company and tries to comfort him.
Henrique spots Anita alone and tries to kiss her, but she rejects him. He re-draws the star on her shoes when she isn’t noticing. Luiza runs away from the house.
The perfect present
Anita learns about her father’s illness and is worried. She asks him if he would like to share anything with her, but he denies it.
Anita realizes that she would have to go back to the present and writes a very emotional message for all her friends on Photoblog. She returns to the present.
Her current life seems perfect in every aspect. She has her own photography studio and a fantastic house. Douglas and Carol are together now. Carol informs her that she’s going to Olympics the with her team.
Henrique is now a musician and has been living in Paris for the last 10 years. Camila is a famous author and really good at what she is doing. All of her friends seem to have a perfect life.
Anita then goes to Paris and meets Henrique. They hang out with each other, and Anita learns that he used to love her. She attends one of his gigs.
While watching the stars, Henrique finally kisses Anita again, and she reciprocates.
Back to past. Again?
Meanwhile, Joel is preparing for his first dinner date with Anita. He is really excited about it but is stood up by her. Anita chooses Henrique above him, and he is heartbroken.
He looks at Anita’s old blog and feels stupid for confessing his love. Luiza finally calls Anita in the middle of the night. She tells her that she hasn’t spoken to their mother in years.
She seems to be having a really shitty life and asks Anita to enjoy hers. Anita believes she is to be blamed for all of this and thinks of undoing everything. She tries logging into her Photoblog again but is unable to do so.
Catching on to the fact that something shady is going on, Joel does the same and can get in. The series ends with Joel traveling back in time, and he is a young boy again.
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