In Fakes, Rebecca Li (Jennifer Tong) and Zoe Christensen (Emilija Baranac) successfully build a fake ID empire but soon realise that the implications of this are more than they bargained for. The Canadian series is now streaming on Netflix.
Story
Rebecca is impressed by her friend Zoe’s skills in creating fake IDs. The entire narrative of Fakes is divided into the perspectives of these two characters and how they remember the events.
Together, they start an illegal business of creating a huge amount of IDs for youngsters. To achieve this, they join hands with Tryst (Richard Harmon), an aspiring entrepreneur looking to get his life sorted by finding investors for his app, but finds no success.
The three manage to grow the business substantially. However, Rebecca and Zoe do not know that Tryst has made a shady deal behind their backs due to fear for his own life.
Caught between the constant threat of the police and the dark secret of Tryst, Rebecca and Zoe struggle to run this business. It also starts to take a toll on their friendship.
Will they be able to navigate all the hurdles; professionally and personally?
Performances
The majority of the ten-episode season revolves around Rebecca and Zoe, leaving most of the heavy lifting to Tong and Baranac. They do not disappoint.
The two bring the much-needed young adult energy to the show, which is a huge reason that it ends up working. Tong and Baranac have praiseworthy chemistry and their scenes definitely hold your attention.
Richard Harmon is simply the icing on the cake. What the show lacks with the two leads, he brings to it. His character absorbs all the dangers and threats to allow Rebecca and Zoe to be carefree kids.
Positives
While most young-adult shows and films fall into the romantic-comedy genre, blending crime with humour makes Fakes stand out. There is a sense of novelty to this series.
Many of the jokes land and the character antics are sure to bring a smile to the viewers’ faces as they go on this journey of two constantly fumbling kids who don’t quite realise what they’re in for.
Despite the light tone, it does touch on some deeper aspects. Rebecca’s relationship with her parents is explored well and she ends up growing as a character.
But it’s Zoe who undergoes the most drastic transformation; both figuratively and literally. Who starts out as a typical nerd always panicking, ends up as a fierce girl with flashy red hair and self-assuredness.
The direction doesn’t let the show drag, and the cinematography and editing are quite sharp, which helps with keeping the viewers’ attention.
Negatives
Although well-paced for the most part, the show drags a bit after the first five episodes. The length of the season could have been more compact.
It does suffer from a few rom-com cliches. One glaring instance is when Zoe gets involved with Rebecca’s boyfriend, an angle that was completely unnecessary.
Verdict
Fakes is one of the better Netflix teen shows, both in terms of innovation and execution. You won’t regret giving this one a watch.
Fakes
Director: Jasmin Mozaffari, Joyce Wong and Mars Horodyski
Date Created: 2022-09-02 20:18
3.5
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