Hermanos tells the story of two brothers, Juan & Alberto, as well as Virginia, their neighbor and lifelong friend, like an honorary sibling. The miniseries starts with younger brother Alberto as a student in a posh private university, Virginia studying journalism, and Juan trying to make a go if it as a professional boxer while helping the family's struggling dry cleaning business.
Over the course of six ~70 minute episodes, we see just how much their lives change. When Alberto graduates university, with the help of some very powerful connections, he quickly starts climbing the ladder of wealth & power. As the result of a tragic accident, Juan becomes an outcast, leaves his family behind, and finds work in a shipping yard. A natural leader, Juan ends up leading a union movement. Virginia pursues a career in journalism & rises quickly, ending up with her own news show.
Life changes dramatically for these three, and despite the conflicts and quarrels, all three find themselves reconnected years later under the most trying of circumstances. No spoilers here, suffice to say that the three siblings realize that despite all the bad times, the years of estrangement, and ugly conflicts, they are family and that family is everything.
What I liked most about Hermanos is that it has a defined ending. Almost every Spanish series leaves a few dangling threads and unanswered questions just in case of renewal. Since Hermanos was always intended to be a miniseries with no further episodes or additional seasons, it wraps up all significant storylines, although not all with the happiest endings.
Hermanos takes the viewer on quite a journey. The three "siblings" go through hell & back. The greatest strength of the miniseries is that the three principal actors all do an outstanding job in their roles. The supporting cast, with one notable exception, is excellent as well. Hermanos is definitely worth your time.
One final note to non-native Spanish speakers, I had a tough time understanding some of the dialogue (no subtitles available). My listening comprehension is very good, and I've watched thousands of episodes of Spanish TV shows without a problem. But I did struggle a bit with Hermanos.
