Intimacy review: Iztiar Ituno's Spanish series addresses major issues but only touches the brim

Intimacy set out to do something brilliant and the concept is pretty powerful but the execution of the show is only sub-par.

Intimacy - Iztiar Ituno.

Story:

Malen Zuberi (Iztiar Ituno), who is the current mayor, is stuck in a scandal. She comes across another case and needs to solve that one in order to bring her story forward.

Review:

'Put me to sleep,' Begona (Patricia Lopez Arnaiz) tells Ane (Veronica Echegui) in one scene. That is exactly what this series does for the longest time, except giving you high points that you want to explore more but even those are very few.

Intimacy, as you can expect, is a visual treat. The first scene of the series are the camera angles of the long sea, taken from different angles. Of course, there is nothing more intimate than the waters.

Iztiar Ituno, who you would remember as Raquel from Money Heist, plays the lead in the series. She plays mayor Malen Zuberi in this series and is just as aggressive. The actor is in the same character, well, almost.

The story of Intimacy moves forward and tends you grab your interest but only for a few moments. The show disgusts you but shows you the mirror to what the troll culture is.

This show drags on and on with moments where it hints at how the locals understand crime in Spain, what 'gender equality' really means and how the men have huge ego there. That is all about Intimacy that really intimidates and even intimidating is too big a word for these scenes.

The story moves on at a very slow pace despite the loud music and scenes. There is absolutely nothing that you cannot predict or it leaves you shocked.

Patricia as an actor has her own moments. She is more shy and reserved but throws it all out if the scene demands it and she plays both the sides well.

Emma Suarez as Malen's godmother has brief but evident appearances. She shines in the very last episode over all.

Ana Wagener is one actor you won't be able to get your eyes off. She demands your attention as Inspector Alicia, even more than Iztiar in most of the scenes.

Yune Nogueiras as the rebellious daughter Leira does not have too much to offer but does a fair job nonetheless. She has her moments too but it is nothing more than a typical rebellious teen who is frustrated with everything around her.

The series takes a turn as it moves towards the end. This is in the second half of episode six, where a fact is stated in the straightest way possible. This moment, however, is so impactful, especially given how everyone is suffering from mental health issues in these times.

Things do progress after that scene and in a good direction but it comes in a little late. Episode 7's last scene, especially is a complete musical and visual delight because of the stunning locations as well as how the scenes have been shot.

The series, which turns beautiful towards the end, has a near-perfect ending. The problem is, it gets too perfect and that takes away from the reality.

Verdict:

Intimacy is one series that stays true to its title - it gets intimate - with fears, insecurities and people. The series, however, doesn’t have the best of execution. In fact, you will wonder what does the story offer you right up to episode 6. There are no unpredictable moments and the show touches some real problems but only on the brim. It deals with one problem - a big one - and that it becomes intimate with. That is what intimacy is about. Coming face-to-face with the problem and accepting the true self. While the message this show shares is great in many ways, the execution helps it only to some extent. Thus, you can watch the show but will be interested in it only for two episodes and even those go in the predictable manner.

Share