Merlí

No reviews to date? Seriously? One supposes that is mainly because it speaks a language (Catalán) with which relatively few Europeans or Americans are familiar. Yet it appears regularly on YouTube with Spanish and even on occasion badly translated English subtitles. No excuses, however. A splendidly scripted, acted, and filmed TV series like this deserves better attention.

The narrative centers on a teacher and his philosophy class in a contemporary Barcelona high school. Each episode follows the teacher's life both at home and in the context of how he interacts with a specific set of acquaintances drawn from that milieu. No punches are pulled where the tone and depth of such relationships are concerned; fine and coarse language intermingle freely, as do sexual tensions involving all the characters.

But the most surprising aspect to me is how thoroughly expert and technically adept an obviously low budget film from a region lying at the northern extremity of its EU country succeeds in every way at generating a first-class production. I like everything about it: the musical track, the use of lighting, the camera work, and the direction. It is equally startling to discover in a minor TV series actors of all ages and kinds delivering top performances. Any language barrier fades away, almost as if it were a silent film with subtitles barely visible.

Now in its second season, this one should be a "must see" for the avid film fan.

I happened to come across this while searching my ROKU for shows. I forget how or why this came across but, I don't know if I can add anything of value, that has not, already been stated. Being, that some, of my ancestors came from Spain and Portugal,I at first, wasn't sure where this was filmed at. At the 10th episode, I figured it out at the end of the shows credits. That prompted me, be inquisitive, to find out more about the Catalan language. I speak English, being in the US, and I do know some German. What confuses me is, there were words that dang near sounded like German. In fact, the use of a German umlaut in the Catalan language confuses me. Is this punctuation correct? I even see not only does a character in the show, have the last name of Grau (grey in German), two the actors also have German last names. Those two being Grösser and Franz. Can anyone explain this being that this part of Spain is in the Eastern section. I do see, when searching the Frence influences as well. My ancestors would have spoken Portuguese and/or proper Spanish. That aside, I think one, pays more attention to foreign TV/shows when it's not a language you understand. Yes, some the English translations/subs are not the best but, the characters do a terrific job with emotions and characters that one can understand. I wish MORE people, would see this show. I wish more people in general would take away these life seasons and take them to heart. You can't watch this show and not get emotional. Europe has always been a head of the US in social "graces". This is a prime example. I don't have to know what the actor/s are always saying, when you can FEEL the emotions. When you've been in similar circumstances as these characters portray, it pulls the heart strings! THIS...IS A MUST SEE show! Thank you to all who make this show what it is!

This show is a very enjoyable, the characters are very easy to connect with and get attached to. If you have free time and you need something good to watch, I recommend this show for you.

Sadly it's not in English, it's in (Catalan?). So if you speak English(or anything else) you'll need to find subbing for the show.

Overall, this show does a good job and developing it's characters and plot. It is a bit rushed and all over the place, but it is one of the best shows I have watched in awhile, possible one of the best shows I have ever watched. If you decide to watch this I hope you can enjoy it as much as I have.

One of my favorite television shows. Recently, I've been getting into shows from foreign countries. I happened to come upon this on Netflix after watching "Elite" and binged the first season in a weekend.

Merli is philosophy teacher who moves in with his mother and comes to teach at his son's school. There he builds unforgettable connections with the students as well as their parents and staff, beginning to help mend the broken lives and relationships that surround him. He isn't without his faults though; he's brash, brutally honest and a bit of a playboy. And he learns that sometimes just meaning well isn't enough.

This show is full of heartbreaking moments and moments that'll fill you with joy. Unfortunately Netflix only offers the first season and the last two seasons are hard to find on the internet but don't let this dissuade you. This is definitely something to watch if you're in the mood for a feel good show that teaches lessons of life and philosophy. Don't let the subtitles dissuade you either; if you're not a fan of foreign shows, you might miss out on this gem, which would be a travesty in many ways. Merli is worth the watch because it's the sort of show that will resonate it your heart long after you've finished it. Don't miss out on it!

There is definitely a before and after watching Merlí in my life, or plenty of reasons. First of all, everything on it -but Merlí itself- It's completely down to earth and very easy to identify with, both characters and plot. There is no quest, no good and eveil, no heroes and villians. Merl'i is about ordinary people struggling with problems of ordinary life (and not for that easy). Characters are deeply developed, with complete absense of stereotypes, and yet, we all know a Pol, a Berta, a Tania, a Bruno. We also know someone dealing with financial problems, or whose parents are getting divorced, or that feels very unsure of their sexuality: Again, all people and problems that hit us just in our heart, because this sh¡t happens to us and in the end, it's what life is about. Merlí himself is the only extraordinary aspect of this show. An unorthodox, rebelious teacher that gets his pupils to really do philosophy. Not just learning names and concepts by hard, but actually thinking, questioning and approaching their daily life from different angles. He is in some way similar to Mr. Keating from the Dead Poets Society (actually the whole show is a bit like the movie). Plus, he has many flaws, what makes him an ordinary man, although he is one of a kind. Each episode has te name of a different philosopher or school and explains basic concepts to us mortals who never read any of that before. It hooked me, and now i'm interested of learning more of it. I felt over and over reflected in characters, relationships and situations in a way that touched me deep inside, as very few books or movies did before. Everything in this show seemed very real, very close to me and very dear. It made me feel i was a teenager again and I started re-thinking many questions we usually ignore. What am I doing with my life? Am i happy with myself? Should i settle with my reality? And on and on. I really wish i could time travel and show this series to my 17 year old me. I would have bolder and crazier decisions, but i would have been happy too. As Thoreau said "and not, when i came to die, discover that i had not lived"