Director: Ines Pinto, Pablo Santidrián, Pablo Fernandez
Cast: Nadia de Santiago, Alvaro Cervantes, David Castillo
steam Platform: Netflix
Ratings: 3/5 (three stars)
Available for streaming on 29 October The time it takes (The time I give you) is a new one Netflix production that stands out as the first TV series in the catalog to experiment with the short format, with episodes only 11 minutes long. The show brings the love story between Lina and Nico to the screen and shows us on the one hand how the two boys meet and fall in love, on the other hand how they overcome their breakup.
Two timelines dedicated to a precise space of the available eleven minutes: as you progress through the story, the present takes precedence over events from the past. As we will see in our judgement by The time it takes, written and co-produced by Nadia de Santiago, also an interpreter of Lina, the series allows the viewer to reflect on a feeling that everyone has experienced at least once in their life. But also to realize that, as difficult as it is, it’s only a matter of time to get over a breakup.
The time it takes to assess: The story
Lina and Nico are two boys like many others who, like many others, meet by chance, fall in love and, unfortunately, end up breaking up. But we already know them at the end of their love, when they have both taken two different paths. The story of Lina (Nadia de Santiago) and Nico (Álvaro Cervantes) is told along two different timelines: that of the present and that of the past. In the present, Lina is still obsessed with the memory of Nico while in the past we see how the two young people, madly in love at first, slowly move away until they reach a final divorce.
But as the story progresses, the present takes over events from the past and we see Lina regain control of her own life. He does this by deciding to think less about his old love for one minute every day, with the aim of forgetting him. The peculiarity of The Time It Takes lies in the fact that it is composed of short episodes that lead us to travel through time and gradually devote more and more space to the rebirth of the main character. For example, in the first episode
The assessment and analysis
The story told in The Time It Takes is a universal story, one in which everyone can identify themselves to a greater or lesser extent. It is precisely in light of this that it is clear that the aim of the series is to deliver a message to the spectators, especially those who are in the same situation as the protagonists. Getting over the end of a love story, difficult as it may seem, is only a matter of time; at first we see Lina obsessed with the memory of Nico and the thought of what she should or shouldn’t have done, but as the days go by, the present moment takes over and our protagonist regains control of her life, taking control of her life. make important personal choices. and professional level.
Also very important is the fact that Lina and Nico are put on the same level in the show: there are no culprits, there is no real person who is responsible for the end of their story. There is only one couple who loved each other very much but who eventually couldn’t stay together because of external circumstances or life goals that were no longer reconcilable. All this helps to accept and normalize even very painful events, such as a breakup.
While the unpublished short format of the series certainly represents an original and interesting choice, perhaps 11 minutes per episode is still too little to delve into certain aspects. As we said, the emotions that are brought into play are realistic and allow the viewer to recognize themselves in them. But what’s hard to empathize with are the protagonists; this is because the short time available does not allow an adequate study of the characters of which it always seems to know too little. An aspect that, once the view of the ten episodes is over, leaves the viewer with an annoying feeling of incompleteness.
