In Muted, Ana, a psychiatrist, studies Sergio Ciscar, who killed his parents six years ago and is now rejoining society, hoping to reunite with his sister. The series is now streaming on Netflix.
Story
After serving six years in prison for killing his own parents by pushing them off a balcony, Sergio Ciscar is released and allowed to rejoin society. Since the incident, Sergio hasn’t spoken a word to anyone. He talks to select people only when he wants to.
Sergio’s silence is considered yes, which led to his arrest. He didn’t even try to defend himself during the investigation.
Ana and her team will be monitoring Sergio through hidden cameras installed in his apartment and the ones on the street. Her team’s job is to determine his current psychological state and whether he is a threat to people.
Ana’s obsession with Sergio’s case soon sees her making questionable decisions. As the case becomes more personal to her, her team starts doubting her and turning on her.
Performances
Arón Piper as Sergio Ciscar and Almudena Amor as Ana Dussuel deliver excellent performances in opposite ways. Piper, as Sergio, receives very limited dialogues, and he is able to convey the guilt, the regret, and the anger inside of his character through his facial expressions.
Almudena Amor, as Ana, on the other hand, in the first episode, tells Sergio’s story as the character with more dialogues, and as one of the leads, she shows the drive required.
Ana initially comes out as the regular, goal-driven main lead looking for justice. Amor manages to hide the true intentions of her character, which remain a mystery for most of the show’s run.
The rest of the supporting cast delivers strong performances as well, especially Cristina Kovani as Marta, who also takes the spotlight for the majority of the show.
Positives
Muted brings quite an intriguing premise, and Sergio’s traits, at first, will make a viewer wonder how he will navigate his life and face the team of Ana, which may not shine all the time but is better than a team of cops investigating the whole matter.
The episodes are paced carefully, and they all run for around 45 minutes. Every minute is counted, as Muted keeps you on the edge of your seat. Even the fillers bring a whole lot of drama that will keep the viewers engrossed.
Muted carries its mystery well, and though it might be predictable for some viewers, the ride is worth taking.
Furthermore, there is a tense atmosphere that is present throughout the show. This atmosphere is backed by incredible use of background music and a color palette that primarily remains in a cooler tone. This tone kind of hints at the loneliness and trauma the characters face.
Negatives
Muted does have an intriguing premise, but it kills it within the first 20 minutes of the first episode. The fact that Sergio can talk takes away the unique selling point of the show. The show’s name teases that he can’t talk, and so does its logline. In a way, Muted lies to its viewers.
Sergio is also teased to be a highly-intelligent person who can easily deceive people once he finds out that they are watching him. That side of Sergio is not explored at all.
Unlike the first four episodes, which build the mystery and story well, the fifth one deviates toward the life of Ana. The kind of scenes this episode is packed with, like going to Ana’s daughter’s school and problems in her marriage, should have been explored earlier. Having these scenes somewhere in the end ruins the show’s momentum.
Lastly, the ending of Muted is frustrating and highly questionable. The show leaves everything in the viewer’s hands to determine what is going on in a particular character’s mind. That aside, overall, the finale made some very bad choices in order to surprise the viewers.
Verdict
Muted is definitely not a must-watch thriller, as it kills the very thing that could have made it intriguing, which is Sergio. None of his traits are used to their best. However, if viewers can ignore that part, Muted does promise an edge-of-the-seat binge.
Muted
Director: Gabe Ibáñez, Esteban Crespo
Date Created: 2023-05-19 12:30
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Also Read: Muted summary and ending explained