Spectros | Campy Supernatural Teen Thriller Loses Something In Translation

"There are two types of people in the world:

The living and the dead.

The ones that are dead always miss living

and the living fear death.

Like tortured lovers, the living and the dead are obsessed with each other

Yet, they dare not touch each other.

The line between the living and the dead must never be crossed

Because once this happens...

[Ghost burst into a cloud of Ofuda]" 

-Beautiful Ghost - EP1 " The Porcelain Doll"

 

 Spectros is a Brazilian Supernatural Thriller written and directed by Douglas Petrie and was produced for Netflix. It was produced by Moonshot Pictures and dubbed by Post Haste Digital. It stars the acting talents of Danilo Mesquita (Pardal), Enzo Barone(Leo), Cláudia Okuno(Mila), Pedro Carvalho(Zeca), and Mariana Sena (Carla). For a Full List of Cast and Crew*

One of the selling points of Spectros is its location. Liberdade, a distinct in the Se prefecture of Sao Paulo is an East Asian ethnic enclave featuring a predominately Japanese population due to mass immigration at the beginning of the 20th century. Sadly enough, Brazil's history mirrors some of the worst aspects of American history including the Atlantic Slave Trade, Colonialism, and the internment of the Japanese during the Second World War. One could say poetically that the city of Sao Paulo is built on a mound of bones. It's this history that comes back to haunt the neighborhood as a group of teenagers try to deal with the own personal ghosts while also battling the literal ones. Spectros is touted as "a mix of Brazilian folklore and history, with elements of Japanese ghost tales" and while this multicultural aspect is one of its strong suits the writing style lends itself to a more teenage dramedy then a lore-heavy fantasy horror series. 

The show begins in media res as our three protagonists are interrogated for their involvement in the burglary of a Shinto priestess by the name of Zenobia and the burnt to a crisp corpse found in the alley outside. You know that one that was hit by the stolen car they were driving. After being stonewalled by the three of them the camera takes us back to "like yesterday" beginning the flashback style that dominates for the first 4 episodes. The show switches between the police station as a bridge narrative and the lives of our three protagonists on that fateful night.  Some critics disliked the narrative style of the first half of the series but I found it to be one of the stronger aspects of the show. Shows in the past such as Person of Interest and The Haunting of Hill House have used the flashback device to great effect in their plot. In the same way Spectros using the same formula to develop the characters starting with a fairly cut and dried narrative to expand both the worlds and the lives of the characters. The broad strokes of characterization that we meet in the beginning are fleshed out as we meet each of the characters in the beginning episodes. Pardal, who initially seems like a two-bit punk is softened by the fact that he steals primarily as a way of caring for his little brother Leo; Mila, who starts off as a snotty perfectionist is dealing with taking care of her alcoholic father and the effects of bullying; and Carla, who starts off as a bitchy mean girl, (and the one whose bullying Mila), is shown to have a not so great homelife with an overzealous homophobic mother and the fact that she keeps hearing voices with free debilitating migraines. I found that the second half of the season tending to drag its feet a bit before the finale but if you're into more fractured and abstract storytelling I feel that Spectros's narrative structure will be up your alley. 

That being said, despite the level of sympathy given to the characters there was a significant lack of growth which kept the characters fairly flat as the story continued. This is not to say that the action and drama was not enjoyable just that I was not able to connect with the characters as much as I wanted to. Another issue, one that ties into the characters, was the voice acting. While I think that the casting  was a good choice, (the English VA conveyed the characters), the actual voice acting at times was disconnected from the emotions portrayed in the show. Along with the occasional flubbed delivery there were times that the dialogue itself could come off a bit wooden. That being said adaptation and translation is a difficult process and there is always something lost in between. I think that there are a lot of strong aspects of this show but the writing and voice acting is the kink in the armor of an otherwise solid show.

Some of the great aspects of the show includes its social commentary and diversity. As stated previous Liberdade has a predominately East Asian population which is reflected in the casting. Carla also has a prominent role in the show being a Afro-Brazilian lesbian. While I feel that Carla's experience is not delved deep enough into, (the show makes a passive mention of her sexuality as well as a handwave at the discrimination she would face as a black queer woman), I do appreciate when a show makes an effort to add diversity in an organic way to the setting. The show also makes the point to state that the ghosts of Liberdade are the spilt blood of the social atrocities of Brazilian history. As Zenobia states bluntly in Episode 5 "The Dead have Risen" as she address the crowd of dead people in her living room. 

"You all lived here once. Your time is over. But if you still value you the lives you had. Please shut up and listen. 

You were the first sons and daughters of this country. A beautiful and wise people, now and in the past.  

You were the colonist hoping to find a new land. You brought your god with you, and violence followed.

You guys were first enslaved, and then became soldiers. You gave your lives fighting for a country which has not giving back enough to feed you. 

And you my young friend, were held up during the last Great War and forced to suffer. Separated from the ones you love. 

And you, our most recent victim, looking for drugs to ease your pain of spirit. Never satisfied, Never Free"

Zanobia points out that many of the undead are victims not only to racial discrimination but many are also victims of poverty and substance addiction. The ghosts are not merely shambling masses but a cross-section of the marginalization that has taken place throughout the history of both Liberdade and Brazil. This subtext is not particularly subtle but it does add another layer to both the narrative and the lore. 

 While I was unable to determine the main cinematographer for the series I can say that it was beautifully shot. The show has some extremely clever camerawork both capturing the unique aspects of the neighborhood while also telling the story with a sense of playfulness and skill. The special effects were well polished and added a sense of mystique to the otherwise more grounded show. The scoring was done by Marcos Levy. Levy works a traditional horror vibe for most of the scoring with fairly standard screechy violins and soft drumming but his use adds a good amount of ambience to the scenes. The scoring is effective without becoming campy. Levy also utilized a selection of Brazilian pop and hip hop music providing a fun bit of contrast to the selection.  

If you're looking for a fun campy teenage supernatural dramedy then Spectros is the show for you. The show puts its best foot forward with a diverse cast, social commentary, and a vibrant setting but damages itself with sometimes mediocre writing and voice acting. Despite its flaws however, Spectros does have its moments in the sun. I wouldn't say this show is for everyone but if you enjoy supernatural thrillers and have a weekend on the couch its worth giving it a chance. 

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*For dubbed works one must understand that there is a duality between the physical acting of the actor and the voice acting done by the dubber. The IMBD page only lists the English voice actress for Zonabia so I wanted to make sure to list the dubbing cast and crew. You can find the dubbing credits at the very end of each episode past the official credits and the Netflix Signoff

Director: Hoe Lynch

Translator: Celina Castro Lisboa Dias

Adaptor: Rachelle Heger

Casting Director: Dorit Simone

CAST

Mila: Ren Liu

Pardal: Ryan Rickard

Carla: Angelique Maurnae

Leo: Winston Bromhead

Celso: Gary Hirai