Rating: 2/5
Netflix’s ‘Back to 15’ is a young adult, feel-good series that follows the story of a 30-year-old woman, who is tired of her life and finds a way to travel back in time. It is now streaming on Netflix worldwide.
Story
The story begins with Anita, a 30-year-old woman who is unhappy with her life. She returns to her hometown for the wedding of her sister Luiza.
She has some uncomfortable confrontations there and flees to her childhood room. She visits her old Photoblog account and is mysteriously transported back in time.
Throughout the series, she travels back and forth in time, attempting to make her adult life perfect by making different decisions as a child.
Towards the end of the final episode, Joel, Anita’s classmate, unintentionally logs into her account and travels back in time, implying that there will be a sequel.
Performances
Malisa Silva, who played the main lead, has done a satisfactory job. She wonderfully portrayed the teenage dilemma and conflicting emotions Anita faced at times. She carries a certain charm that attracts the viewers at all times.
Camila Queiroz as adult Anita was an excellent casting. Queiroz successfully portrayed the adult-child impulsive character.
Klara Castanho, who played the character of Carol, seems to have a hard time showing her timid nature. The character often appeared dead and void of any emotions; instead of the docile personality, the story was hinting.
Pedro Vinicius, on the other hand, had no problem showing the quirky and energetic side of his character. He was also quite successful in making the emotional scenes heartfelt and genuine.
João Guilherme, who played the role of Fabrício, had attractively shown the angst, hurt, and pain his character was feeling. The viewers feel bad for him despite his morally grey nature.
The teen Henrique, played by Caio Cabral, was a shy, introverted child who seemed very nervous around his crush, contrary to adult Henrique, who looks very confident and strongly opinionated. The development was quite sudden but intriguing.
Positives
Back to 15 is a lighthearted series that can be viewed by anyone. With its short episode format, the storyline doesn’t wander unnecessarily and sticks to significant events that help in the development of the plot.
It also covers many social issues like bullying, homosexuality, and toxic masculinity. The main character Anita is a strong person who speaks her mind and fiercely cares for the people she loves, sending a positive message towards the younger audience of the series.
The show also portrayed abusive relationships, rejecting the modern notion of toxic love being an attractive prospect.
Negatives
Anita, the main character of the series, seems quite childish and immature despite her age. She had a pretty impulsive nature, which often backfired on her. Despite turning 15, her mental age was still supposed to be 30, yet she didn’t show the wisdom and sophistication that come with age.
The series also seemed to follow multiple subplots, which had no correlation to the main plot and were discarded halfway through.
The entire sequence of adulthood shown in the series seemed unnatural and insincere. It seemed like what a teenager would think adulthood is. The show made a 30-year-old woman’s life revolve around problems that are usually faced by children.
The show seems fixated on the idea that all the people from your high school and middle school will stay with you throughout your life, regardless of the role they play which is honestly quite ridiculous.
The writers unsuccessfully tried bringing diversity in the story but often fell for the stereotypes. The characters also felt very one-dimensional and lacked appropriate character growth.
Verdict
Back to 15 is a lighthearted series aimed towards a younger demographic. It lacks originality and adheres to established character clichés. It’s something you might want to avoid.