Adolescence is one of the most complex and misunderstood stages of a human being’s life. And the boys and girls who are going through it (and the adults around them), do not have an instruction manual to teach them how to proceed in the face of the challenges that arise. As if this were not enough, the current generation must face the inconsistency of growing up encouraged by messages that speak of freedom and equality and then end up facing situations of hate such as homophobia, racism and sexist violence, which are experiencing a dangerous upswing. This is what the novel is about. ‘The Age of Rage’which has now taken the form of a four-part miniseries that broadcasts to world level Atresplayer Premium.
The story it tells, which has ingredients of a ‘thriller’ and drama, is that of four teenagers who, in one way or another, experience the traumatic situation that two of them face, Marcos (Manu Rios) and Ignacio (Carlos Alcaide)some brothers who suffer a situation of violence at home caused by an authoritarian father, which leads to the murder of this by, supposedly the minor, Marcos. And also that of the sentimental and sexual relationship to three that he establishes with two classmates from the institute, Sandra (Amaia Aberasturi) and Raul (Daniel Ibanez), which will not be understood by its environment.
“The police seek to discover if he was the one who did it, but asks if we are all guilty of the violence that surrounds us. Also, friendship is key, one of the great impulses of adolescence and hopefully it is of society”, points Nando López, author of the homonymous novelwho was a finalist in the Nadal Awards in 2010 and it is already in its 15th edition.
Fiction flees from the traditional chronological narration to address history according to the point of view of four boyswho star each of them one of the chapters, to show the many aspects of adolescents. A polyphonic structure that keeps the essence and the very crudeness and poetry of the novelwritten by López when he was still a teacher, based on the experiences collected by him and by his classmates at the institute where he taught.
Although in the novel the story is explained from the point of view of the teachers, while in the series, as in the play that López himself adapted, it is the adolescents who are given the leading role to give them a voice. They are also joined by an adult, such as the teacher, Álvaro, played by Eloy Azorín, with whom “a tribute is paid to those who believe in education as a way of building the future,” according to López.
Despite the fact that in these years the novel has run through institutes as recommended reading and in the form of workshopsthe author, who has been heavily involved in fiction — an Atresmedia TV production in collaboration with Big Band Media (The Mediapro Studio) and Masficción, directed by JJesus Rodrigo— advising and supervising the scripts by Juanma Ruiz Córdoba and Lucía Carballal, its intention is not to raise awareness, but to “provoke dialogue” and generate debate. For young actors, bringing to life characters that so many teenagers know is a challenge that they face responsibly. “I hope that the people who have read it are not disappointed. Because sometimes it happens when they make a movie out of a book. I have demanded a lot of myself so that this did not happen & rdquor ;, says Aberasturi, remembering that the series is not totally faithful to the novel and has been updated.
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“I didn’t know the novel before I found out about the ‘casting’”, Ríos confesses, ”but then I saw the impact it had, when it was announced on networks that the series would be made. I did not know that there had been such a big ‘boom’ among teenagers & rdquor ;, acknowledges the actor and ‘influencer’. And he confesses: “We feel the responsibility to live up to and carry the values that appear in the book to the series. For people to reflect & rdquor ;. A wish shared by Daniel Ibáñez. “I think that people are going to be very excited about what they will see and that is important so that what they want to transmit arrives (…) teenagers and adults are going to ‘clickk’ with this series, without being aware of what it is teaching them, and that is much more effective & rdquor ;, he maintains. “It has a trace of urgency to call for reflection. Let each one do introspection, because in this society there is much to be resolved & rdquor ;, Alcaide concludes.