The Disney Plus platform expands its catalog of own productions with The Invisible Girl, the adaptation of the junior mystery novel of Francisco de Paulaknown as Blue Jeans. For those who are delighted with the result, a simple reminder: it is the start of a trilogy, so it is very likely that the next two volumes will also have their translation in images.
They act as directors Norberto Lopez Amado (3 ways) and Aritz Moreno (Advantages of traveling by train) while the script team is extensive, including Carmen López-Areal (The sleeping voice), Marina Efron (A matter of sex), Antonio Hernández Centeno (Caronte), Ramón Tarrés (La cocinera de Castamar ) and Ian de la Rosa (Venom).
VIDEO
Trailer for The Invisible Girl, the disturbing Spanish series that comes to Disney+ in February
Although the heart of the story remains intact, there are numerous changes compared to the printed letter, starting with the setting of the story itself.
While the novels are clearly aimed at an adolescent audience, here we find a darker and murkier atmosphere that seeks to broaden the spectrum of the target audience, starting with the protagonist’s own home, whose mother is absent from the beginning and continuing through the photography that plays with the focus, the very first close-ups and low lights.
We move to an Andalusian town where a crime takes place that convulses the peace of the streets: at the Rubén Darío institute, Aurora appears brutally beaten to death, known by the nickname “the invisible girl”. Next to her body appears an object that causes the media to talk about the “compass killer”.
As the shadow of suspicion reaches his own father, his teachers and even some people with whom he had run-ins in the past, things continue to get complicated.
The responsibility of clarifying what happened falls on Judicial Police Lieutenant Miguel Ángel, who in turn is the father of Julia, a brilliant student at the educational center who knew the victim and her surroundings. She will apply her puzzle-solving ability and her photographic memory to investigate on her own, something that will put her in a delicate position.
On the one hand, he wants to help his father, but on the other, any premature leak could complicate the resolution of the case.
The invisible girl – Image gallery (13 images)
Efficient, although not too original
That the national police thriller is in fashion is indisputable and that it works, too. There we have the premieres of series like The Snow Girl on Netflix, The Gypsy Bride on ATRESPlayer PREMIUM or the adaptation of Red Queen on which Prime Video is already working.
The main problem with this little boom in production is that it runs the risk of exhausting viewers. It is sensational that national talent is used and editorial success is sought as a hook to catch the audience, but it would not be acceptable if the market were saturated with products that are too similar to each other.
In the case of the invisible girlthe series, which consists of eight episodes lasting about 30-40 minutes, has its own audiovisual identity, making use of more identity resources from the direction compared to other works, but it also clones the problems of the novel, among which is going around too many times making it almost inevitable to anticipate the outcome.
The series tries to better hide its cards and remove something naif from the book from the equation, but it only succeeds in some parts of the narrative, which differ for the better, seeking greater credibility,
On the other hand, the soundtrack lacks the necessary force to amplify the depth of the personal tragedies that are exposed on the screen and often falls short to finish rounding off the fabulous work of setting.
Among the pros, the successful casting in which they stand out Daniel Grao y Zoe Stein, who has been nominated for a Goya for Best New Actress for her role in Manticore. Also the fact of being an adaptation with a certain ambition: the scripts not only seek to raise the mystery of “who did it” but also to address conflicts of a different type such as parent-child relationships, bullying or forbidden love.
In short, it is worth spending the time, although to be honest there are some episodes that you want to skip to reach the resolution. Still, it builds a strong enough start for us to see the entire trilogy. With the permission of the audience, yes.
