Love After Music chronicles the ups and downs of the life and career of Argentinian rock star Fito Páez. The series is now streaming on Netflix.
Story
In 1978, in Rosario, during the third year of military dictatorship in Argentina, Fito Páez attempts to make a mark as a musician by performing in bars with his friends.
Juan Baglietto takes note of Páez and invites him to his band rehearsals, where Páez leaves an impression on everyone. Initially, Páez’s father, Rodolfo, doesn’t approve of Páez’s musical dreams.
Rodolfo allows him to explore the world of music if he promises not to leave his education and if he doesn’t go to Buenos Aires, where things are far worse. A year later, when Baglietto’s band is offered a big show in Buenos Aires, Páez breaks his promise and leaves for the show.
With every passing day, Páez’s talents are adored by big names in the music industry who see a future in him while his father’s health continues to deteriorate.
Performances
Love After Music promises a memorable performance from Ivan Hochman as Fito Páez, who comes off as a kid who looks shy and soft-spoken but has a rebellious nature.
Hochman embodies a rockstar’s rage and emotions well. When his character faces tragedy, Hochman effectively transitions into a depressed rockstar who only relies on drugs. A stark difference in the Páez from the start of the show and at the end can be noticed.
For the most part, Hochman is at the center of Love After Music as Fito Páez. His performance is aided by a strong cast that gives their hearts as supporting characters.
Positives
Love After Music starts off on a colorful yet so dark note with a steady pace and the promising story of Fito Páez. It puts forth Páez’s talents and his rise well, and it introduces the viewers to the beautiful relationship he shares with his father.
Like most musical dramas and the parents of musicians, Páez’s father isn’t exactly supportive of his career. Still, he understands his son’s dreams and allows him to explore them, giving the viewers something fresh and a heartwarming moment that makes them root for this relationship before the dark times that are to come.
Negatives
Love After Music quickly grabs a viewer’s attention after mentioning how rock music was resented in Argentina back in the day, but the show doesn’t dive into those waters at all.
A little exploration into why and how authorities perceived rock music and treated rock musicians may have made this musical drama different from others. Furthermore, despite being a musical, the show doesn’t even try to explore how Páez came up with his music in depth.
The series also relies on flashbacks that connect to the events taking place in the present. Unfortunately, even these flashback scenes are not properly fleshed out, and one can just avoid them to focus on the main storyline. Only the story of Páez’s mother is one that is intriguing to watch.
While the relationship between Páez and his father is well captured, once that chapter is closed, it feels like the show loses its goal or clearly doesn’t have any except for recreating the events of Páez’s life.
The events are put forth as it is, and there is nothing inspiring, emotional, or something to look forward to here. Páez goes through tough times, gets back to his life, and simply brings another hit to revive his career. There is not much heart put into the writing.
Verdict
Love After Music captures Fito Paez’s dark times well, and the actors put on quite a performance to make you care about them. The writing over here lacks heart, as it doesn’t inspire you at all. Compiling the whole series into a movie could have made this story a better watch.
Love After Music
Director: Felipe Gómez Aparicio, Gonzalo Tobal
Date Created: 2023-04-26 12:30
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