O Jardineiro

So here we are, sitting down to watch El Jardinero, expecting some emotional grit, mystery, maybe even a slow burn character arc. But instead, we get a narrated backstory from his mother, telling us that our main guy fell on his head and just stopped feeling things. That's it. That's the entire emotional foundation of this walking plot device.

And just as we're trying to get invested in his emotionless stare and existential gardening, bam, 28 minutes in .. redhead appears. Suddenly, Boom. Puberty hits like a freight train. And just like that, years of psychological detachment are cured with a some awkward small talk. His brain reboots, Windows XP style, and suddenly he's Mr. Charisma with feelings and opinions.

Honestly, if you're into emotional arcs that collapse faster than a house of cards in a hurricane, this is your show. Watching this was like ordering a steak and getting a soggy salad with a side of "we gave up halfway through.

3/10 - and that's me being generous because the opening music slapped.

Don't expect some deep insight into mind of a emotionally detached serial killer. This is not Dexter or You, this is something else. A serial killer who kills for money and who, due to childhood accident, can't feel emotions. And of course falls in love with a wrong woman, causing a series of events that threaten to upend everything.

This isn't a masterpiece neither in terms of script, acting, camerawork, plot..... but is fine enough to binge when you have a craving for something different than standard fare.

Some would complain that movie doesn't really have a "good" character, all principal ones are flawed in some way, some are just more willing to admit it. But in a movie about serial killer can you really have such character?

The gardener. In europe, it's el jardinero. From spain. Only six episodes. A mother ( cecilia suárez ) and son ( álvaro rico ) team of assassins. But while elmer has an odd, strong connection with nature, he has lost his sense of emotions with people. A perfect trait for a killer! When they bury the bodies in their own yard, the plants and trees seem to thrive even more. Elmer and mom are saving up to buy a house far away, where they can leave all this behind. Officers torres and carrera are surprised that they never find the bodies of the missing people. A new job brings a new twist... the next target has already fallen for elmer. Can he carry out the job? If he goes through with it, will the coppers trace the murder back to elmer and his mother? Things begin to unravel. Things are not going according to plan anymore. The casting is good, the english dubbing is excellent. It probably didn't need to be six episodes.... the coppers took a LONG time to start linking the murders. But overall, it's good! Another good miniseries from netflix. And the writers have left it wide open for a season two! But no announcements yet, if there will be more episodes. Directed by rafa montesinos and mikel rueda.

This is an interesting story and the acting is solid. However, all of the characters are so selfish that I did not enjoy it very much. I almost wish they would all be murdered as it would be very satisfying from a karmic perspective.

The actress who played the mother of the garden, as well as the actress who played another mother in the story were brilliant.

I kept wanting to attach to one of the characters as my protagonist, but one by one they failed the personality test. It goes back to each one, not seeing any goals beyond their own. Disappointing when it could've been so good. I learned the trigger was a good fertilizer.

The aesthetics of the film are in another world, the gardens and setting up, truly delightful. Ending was mindblowing too. I loved the casting of the male and female lead, and the story gradually evolves into something better. One of the best part of the film is the dog ofc. It's like, the lovers try to pull apart from each other, but fate brings them closer together, in the most unexpected ways. Could the episodes have been short? Maybe. The main thing that attracts you to the story, is how the male character, slowly grows out of the shell that his mother had put him into, all because of something that happened, which she never expected. The plot twists are so good.