The Five Juanas is a dark comedy about a woman who meets her destiny. With an identity crisis, that’s probably just what she deserves. The film offers some absurdist laughs and feels like something you’ve seen before – but not in the way it seems.
Soap operas are popular among the Latinx population. It has created a large amount of material in this genre that appeals to a niche audience across the globe, whether in the original Spanish language or its variants, dubbed in English, or with subtitles. ‘The Five Juanas’ is one of those soap operas that is a little ridiculous and quirky but yet intriguing. The 18-episode series, whose Spanish title ‘La Venganza de las Juanas’ translates to the considerably more titillating ‘Revenge of the Juanas,’ is essentially a copy of Bernado Romero Pereira’s 1997 Colombian drama ‘La Juanas.’ This version was also turned into a Mexican telenovela of the same name that aired from 2004 to 2005. The series launched on Netflix on October 6th, and the show’s script was written by Jimena Romero’s daughter, who was also the original writer. Another fascinating truth is that, although being influenced by the previous two series, this one has a unique twist. The birthmark feature is unique to the program, since it was not present in the previous installments.
The story follows five separate ladies who, on the surface, seem to be complete strangers. However, they are drawn together in Cancun by unusual circumstances, and they quickly discover that they are not only related, but also sisters. The fact that they are all called Juana, although with different surnames, and have the same fish birthmark on their behind in the same area leads to this conclusion.
Despite having these two fundamental characteristics, the temperaments and behaviors of these five females are as different as they come. Manuela, portrayed by Zuria Vega, is a high-end stripper who refuses to work for less than a stack of C-notes. Matilde, played by Juanita Arias, looks to have run afoul of the law after being barred from returning to Colombia by the authorities, and Bautista, played by Sophia Engberg, who works as a hustler doing card reading. She doesn’t appear enthusiastic about her work when we first meet her since she’s trapped reading tarot cards at a bachelor party. Caridad, portrayed by Oka Giner, is a nun trapped in a drab apartment as cops raid a nearby drug house, and Valentina, a journalist, rounds out the cast. She is initially seen by the audience beside the sea, where she is dispersing her late mother’s ashes. Carlos Ponce, Antonio Denetro, Pablo Bracho, and Mauricio Isaac, among others, appear in the series.
The author constructs the story in such a manner that destiny plays a part in the reunion of the five ladies. Every clip that introduces the several ladies includes a view of their derriere, revealing the distinctive birthmark in full. All of the Juanas are bundled together in the same hotel in one form or another. Then an earthquake, a natural hazard, prompts the quintet to gather on the patio for an evacuation. There are also several opportunities for the five ladies to realize their unusual bond and nurture the desire to learn more about each other and discover what brings them together. All of this may seem clichéd, but it’s well-crafted, and the viewer finds itself learning about the new development with the protagonists. However, the program is quite predictable.
Then there are moments that introduce Simon Marroguin, portrayed by Ponce, who looks to be some kind of prominent dignitary but is shown to be a very corrupt douchebag with a slew of shady deals pursuing him like prey. It doesn’t take long for the audience to figure out what’s going on.
The storyline is clear, as previously said. The varied personalities conflict as they work toward a shared goal: locating their biological father, learning what happened to their mother, and figuring out how they all became separated. In order to go ahead, everybody wants to discover their tale and, most likely, receive closure.
All of the classic soap opera narrative tropes are used in ‘The Five Juanas,’ including foggy flashbacks of the protagonists pouring out their deepest emotions and ideas through voice-over, which is very usual in this genre. In terms of quality, the manufacturing has a promising future ahead of it.
The whole series is littered with nude and sex scenes, making it inappropriate to watch with children or anybody who are sensitive to such material. There are much too many beautiful cheesecakes scattered throughout, which delights viewers who like such sights. The series is not hilarious, but it will probably make you laugh once or twice.
Despite its attraction to certain viewers who like sensual images, several sequences depict strange rape-like incidents that seem to celebrate the deed. While all of these programs are designed to be entertaining, it’s crucial to note that young boys like watching them, and that’s definitely not the message adults want to send to the next generation. This series would have been more attractive and comfortable to a wider audience if these sequences had been toned down.
When one first begins viewing this series, there is one feature that fascinates them. Despite the fact that it began as a single season with 18 episodes, it seems to be two seasons in one. Once viewers reach episode 9, they will see this.
Overall, ‘The Five Juanas’ is fairly predictable, but it does have a novel narrative that will pique the curiosity of viewers who have previously seen the original and the Mexican version. It’s of average quality, but the performances from the whole ensemble are outstanding, and there are several erotic sequences scattered throughout. If this seems like your cup of tea, you should absolutely watch this series. It’s a good thing there are 18 episodes because, despite the plot’s corniness and ridiculousness, once you start watching, you can’t stop.
