Dafter the cult series Modern Family where he was Gloria Delgadobeautiful, friendly and young wife of Jay Pritchett, Sofia Vergara it sheds its skin and becomes Griselda Blanco, undisputed drug lord who really existed. The brilliant actress, as well as being the protagonist of this Netflix miniseries in six episodesis also an executive producer. The team is the same as Narcos – writer Doug Miro, producer Eric Newman and director Andrés Baiz – but center stage there is no longer the story of Pablo Escobar but the equally true story of Griseldaknown as the godmother of cocaine.
Griselda: the plot of the Netflix miniseries
Colombian Griselda Blanco Restrepo she is known in the news for having been the uncontested queen of narcotics: his criminal activity lasted about twenty years, from the 70s to the 80s. The story starts from his difficult childhood. Raised in Medellín in absolute poverty, in a very dysfunctional family where abuse is the order of the day because of a mother who is a prostitute, an alcoholic and surrounded by violent and criminal characters.
To escape a life of hardshipwithout prospects, enters the ruthless world of drug trafficking thanks to the infamous Pablo Escobar, his childhood friend, not before killing an ignoble and inept husband and took refuge in Miami with her three children. Is exactly in Florida he began to make himself known for his audacity, for the ingenious ways to sell and trade cocaine. His incredible ability to survive, combined with an uncommon ferocitywill allow you to build an empire and to become one of the most feared narcotics kingpins.
The authors of Griselda have brilliantly chosen to be less adherent and faithful to the historical record, and place emphasis on the darkest aspect of a female personality who has hundreds of murders on her conscience and fights to excel in a world of men only. The lust for power will be his winning weapon and, at the same time, his downfall.
From left to right: Camilo Jimenez Varon (Rafa), Alberto Guerra (Dario), Sofia Vergara (Griselda) and Diego Trujillo (German Panesso). (Netflix)
The parallel with Narcos and a female protagonist
The director and screenwriters are well aware of the comparison with Escobar’s story. Self Narcos can be called a rather grim accountwith documentary style, Griselda has an even more dizzying narrative, bold and powerful, with humorous and pulp touches. The intense Sofia Vergara’s interpretation is striking from the first episodefrom the moment she is forced to flee from her drug dealer husband.
Wounded, fragile, still not fully aware of her destiny, she always shows her strong-willed character, her iron will. Despite the help of a friend (Vanessa Ferlito) who offers her a decent job even if humble, which would allow her to start a new life legally, the woman cannot keep herself away from the call of a life on the edgenot to give up the immense wealth that only the sale of cocaine can give her.
The difficult life of the Medellin Cartel Not And more behind his back but it is the future for himself and his family. The dramatic features of the series – bloody but never scary, at least not like Scorsese’s plastic violence – they allow Sofia to forget the character that made her famous, reinventing himself in a role that is still Latin and yet finally something else: the “godmother”, and not just for the rather bizarre use of prosthetics and makeup in many scenes.
Sofia Vergara: from the roles of Latin character actor to dramatic interpreter
In a recent interview with Los Angeles Times, Sofia Vergara confessed to be aware of the fact that she can’t play many interesting female characters is because of her accent, and for her undoubted and busty femininity. With Griseldathe good actress took her revenge against stereotypes, convincing and enthusing critics and audiences thanks to his performance.
Sofia Vergara is Griselda. (Netflix)
If with the ruthless drug trafficker Vergara only has in common the place of birth and the languagethe episodes of sexism and misogyny that Griselda encounters from the beginning of her deplorable career, between male competitors who underestimate her and unsolicited sexual advances in the workplaceseem to belong to all women, criminals and otherwise.
Narrative development also shows implications of female solidarity and sisterhood, but Griselda learned to play at the men’s table, at their own game: he descends to the same level of brutality and violence to try to get the respect he deserves. He gets it, of course, but at a very high price.
The few criticisms leveled at the miniseries underlined the annoying spectacularization of horrors and the difficulty in moving away from certain classic clichés in telling the world of drugs and Colombian history. Venial sins that take second place in the face of an acting performance and an original figure of a woman, a bit Scarface and a bit Lady Macbeth, who won’t be easily forgotten.
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