Reactions: Captivated, Fascinated, Pure wonderment
Where to watch: Netflix

Cien Años de Soledad on Netflix is an adaptation of one of my favorite books by Gabriel García Márquez. This novel is held up as a modern classic and one of the best examples of magical realism. (Note the show’s dialogue takes place in Spanish.)

Magical realism is also one of my favorite genres (see this review for another fantastic example of the genre). For the uninitiated, Wikipedia defines magical realism as “is a style or genre of fiction and art that presents a realistic view of the world while incorporating magical elements, often blurring the lines between speculation and reality.” And most notably, the author “deliberate[ly] withholds information and explanations about the disconcerting fictitious world.” One other recent famous work of magical realism that was made into a famously popular movie was Like Water for Chocolate.

The novel and show follow the story of the Buendía family, starting with José Arcadio and his wife Úrsula, cousins forbidden to marry, who leave their village and wander in the jungle for years before founding the town of Macondo. We watch as decades pass, Macondo grows, and the Buendías beget sons and grandsons, all named José Arcadio. In the book it was much harder to keep track of which José or Arcadio we were reading about. The show makes it much easier to follow the similarly named characters with different actors.

The TV show has been receiving wide acclaim, especially for translating the surreal nature and magical realism of the novel into an equally compelling visual narrative tone on screen. I cannot underscore how impressed I am with this aspect of the show. I worried about them leaning too heavily into the magic being either actually real magic and trying to explain it, or shucking it altogether. Instead, they weaved it into the background of the episodes just as it appears in the novel – a surreal mystery accepted as fact. The result is an eery, mysterious, curious, impish, befuddling, and captivating tone that accompanies the generations of Buendías as time marches on in Macondo.

A key theme throughout the story is forbidden love, romance, and passion. If you like watching steamy sex scenes, you’re in luck! But it’s not just a love story. The romantic aura is pierced by a more serious theme of self-determination as the government imposes conservative rule on this small town hidden in the jungle. The liberal party (the reds) mount a rebellion, through which the topic of war and its effect on man and community is laid bare.

There are eight episodes that take us to the middle point of tale of Macondo. An additional eight epodes are coming in the future. I for one, will be eagerly awaiting them!

I cannot recommend this show highly enough.

And… because it’s me writing this, I cannot finish this review without mentioning Édgar Vittorino who plays José Arcadio Beundía (the second). This man is stunning. Wow. I’m going to have to go watch his other works now. Wow. That’s all I can say. Just… wow.