Review of Netflix’s “Fake Profile”: the Thriller that Tries to Unite Latin America in Its Production

The search for love on social networks has been widely addressed from non-fiction with documentaries, series based on real events or television programs such as "Catfish". However, a new layer is being explored from fiction and "Fake Profile", the new Netflix series, does so with a narrative close to the thriller genre.

“Fake Profile” follows the story of Camila (Carolina Miranda), a dancer at a nightclub who decides to create a profile on Tinder. There she finds the profile of Fernando (Rodolfo Salas), with whom she matches, and they agree on a blind date. On the date they both manage to have chemistry, but Camila falls into a trap and when she discovers it, she persists in reaching the final consequences in the development.

Since last May 31, this production has reached the streaming series and movie platform and expects to achieve notable success. To do this, it brought together talent from different latitudes of Latin America in its creation. This trend has been growing, especially on platforms like Netflix, perhaps in order to gain more reach or simply to meet the need to produce universal stories that are digestible in different contexts.

Latin America In a Story: Netflix Bets on Regional Productions

The series created by a Chilean (Pablo Illanes) begins in Las Vegas (United States) and takes place in Cartagena (Colombia) with a Mexican protagonist and a Colombian one, played by a Venezuelan actor. The Latin character is reflected in the perspective and interpretation of at least four countries with very different realities and backgrounds.

The most complex part of the series is the intention to get the viewer to identify, or feel empathy, with one of the characters. The most curious thing about the treatment given to the series is that, without ceasing to be a thriller, it appeals to melodrama; a very characteristic genre of television productions in Mexico, Venezuela, and Colombia. Perhaps this ends up being the common code shared by the producers of the production and the Latino public. Despite the inclusion of problems and issues such as cyberbullying and 'sexting', the argument appeals to traditional formulas that include love triangles and deceit. In the end, there is the naive protagonist who is the sole recipient of all the ills.

Also read: June 2023 Releases: The Most Anticipated on Streaming Platforms

A Series of Accumulation

"Fake Profile" is par excellence a series that lives on accumulation. What seems to be the number one dilemma of the plot, which is the discovery of the impostor, is resolved at the beginning of the second episode. The discovery hit fails to be as effective because the narrative distractions, such as the fact that the protagonist is not a nurse, but a dancer, are not engaging enough.

Each advance in the plot inserts small situations that have the potential to become bigger later with the development and conclusion of each situation. So, the protagonist lives a dilemma of harassment and violence with her ex-partner, she is cheated on by her new lover and is willing to make him uncomfortable no matter the costs that she herself may pay. In fact, she settles down, forced from the script, in her lover's family.

At the same time, this heartthrob must deal with his lie, which he started on Tinder, and be the support of a worn-out marriage. Just as each protagonist overwhelmingly faces each predicament, the secondary characters experience similar situations as the story progresses.

What seemed to be a series that fictionalized a few more episodes of “Catfish” ended up becoming a thriller that leans on melodrama as an effective formula. The aim is to give a series that can be digested to a viewer eager for emotions, erratic decisions and chaos, because that is what accumulation ends up being.