Santos (2023-2024)

Santos is an eight-part Rotterdam Surinarcos with Cape Verdean influences and revolves around pekkies imported through the port. A trade line expertly organized by the Dos Santos mafia family. Mater familias Erveline Dos Santos - an excellent Romana Vrede - focuses mainly on networking, her two sons do the dirty work.

The focus is on love couple Yola Dos Santos (Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing) and Glenn (Yannick Jozefzoon), who try to build a life against the tide of wrong friends and family. Although the makers have made their mark as directors and writers of Penoza and Mocro Mafia, Santos is more of a drama than a suspenseful narcotic thriller.

In the first strong episodes - there is little going on for the couple in love - the beautiful photography in warm colors is striking. The final episodes are made with forced suspense and lack conviction and credibility. Expect bleak harbor sheds, bad restaurants and unsavory types in Santos, but no hard action or explosions of violence. What remains is a fairly convincing story about friendship, loyalty and being true to yourself. Or as director Ivan Barbosa himself says: 'not every criminal wants to be a criminal.'

Translated from Dutch · View original

Fresh actors of color and a great atmosphere of the Cape Verdean/Surinamese subculture in Rotterdam. The port city is put on the map like 'The Wire' did with Baltimore or 'The Sopranos' with New Jersey. Yet it never gets the authenticity or nuance of such better series. Just like Erveline Dos Santos (Romana Vrede) herself, 'Santos' wants to be bigger and more compelling than it actually is. With a ridiculous final act in which all credibility is thrown overboard for theatrical excess.

Translated from Dutch · View original