It happened again.
I became addicted to a series on Netflix.
However, unlike other series, where I feel guilty for having watched them, this one makes me feel wonderful.
The series is Celia, and it is loosely based on the life of famous Cuban singer Celia Cruz who happens to be one of my ultimate favorite singers of all time. Growing up I had posters of Celia and Freddie Mercury side by side. I know, eclectic can’t even begin to describe my musical tastes.
I usually have these shows running after dinner while I do busy work like answering emails, checking blog & social comments, and so on. This one has had me pause what I am working on so often, that many an evening I gave myself an hour to set aside my work and just watch and enjoy.
The series follows Celia from when she was a teenager in pre-revolution Cuba with big dreams through her battles with racism and sexism and the revolution. They do a great job of following her rise to stardom in Cuba, Latin America and later the US.
The Casting
There were things I loved about the casting choices and a few I really hated.
This is the first novela that features a mostly Afro-Latin cast which I couldn’t envision being cast otherwise, as they are playing people who were Afro-Cuban. I mean, a large portion of the cast is Afro-Latino, which makes it feel authentic. I just can’t believe it took the networks so long to make this happen.
Puerto Rican actor Modesto Lacén was brilliant as Cruz’s husband, Pedro Knight. His accent was excellent and he was 100% believable.
Puerto Rican actress Jeimarie Osorio played younger Celia and did a great job of developing her character’s mannerisms and depth to match Celia’s as she aged in the show.
Noris, Celia’s sister, was played by Aida Bossa who did a brilliant job of playing an annoying high-pitched Cubanita pizpireta. Another great performance was delivered by Carolina Gaitán who portrayed the young Lola Calvo. That character is actually based on La Lupe, another famous Cuban artist who fled to the US during the revolution.
These characters did a great job with the accents and transported me back to my childhood, as they remind me of people I knew and grew up with.
I will say that on the negative side, some of the casting was ridiculous, like Celia as a little girl or Pedro Knight’s daughters. Considering the audience was Spanish speaking, the casting folks should know better than to cast someone with a South American or Central American accent as a Cuban. We all know the very distinct difference. It’s like casting someone with a thick southern drawl as a native New Yorker.
After about 50 episodes, the cast starts changing to older actors to reflect the passage of 20 to 30 years. It was a bit weird getting used to it, but it was interesting to see how they took turns with introducing them as the episodes went on so that it was gradual. I was annoyed at first, but I also understand what they were trying to achieve.
Portrayal of the Cuban Revolution
One of the things that really got me was how well they portrayed the actual Cuban Revolution and how the Cuban people suffered as a result. I also had a hard time with the prison scenes, as my father was a political prisoner as a young man. It really brought tears to my eyes to see how he may have been treated. One thing is hearing the stories and another is seeing it portrayed on the screen.
I was also shocked at how well the series captured the struggles experienced by the exile community, spanning decades of people believing that things would change and they would return home. These same folks were shown coming to the realization that they would not return in their lifetime and the heartache that it caused.
The games that were played with Celia by the Castro regime such as banning her from ever returning to see her family, even for the funerals of her beloved parents were shown as a constant struggle in her life.
I chuckled as they even showed how difficult it was to get a call through to the island or the fact that mail would never reach the intended recipient. Having lived through some of this, it was interesting to see it now as a viewer.
You get 80 culture packed episodes of modern history at 45 minutes per episode. Netflix has it with subtitles, so that knowing Spanish no longer a prerequisite to enjoy it.
Noticias Newswire 
83 Responses
This seems like a powerful show that would be a great learning experience for all. My church pastor is Cuban and he has some great stories.
They did a great job of covering the history. It’s an eye opener for many who are not familiar with this part in our modern history.
Sounds brilliant! I will add it to my instant queue. It’s so easy to get into Netflix addicion 🙂
This sounds like an interesting show! I had never heard of her before reading this.
Celia Cruz was a great woman! I really love her music and her all life, she was so kind and fun!
She was amazing and nicely boring. They really had to add in some crazy family & friend drama and place a huge focus on the impact of the revolution to make it novella worthy 🙂
I have always enjoyed cuban music when I hear it although I admit I do not usually seek it out. Am going to start listening to this more often.
It seems like a good series to watch, your review makes it more interesting to see and thanks for the captivating videos and ideas about the iconic Celia Cruz.
Netflix is a black hole and you won’t be able to get out once you’re hooked on a new series! I think this is really interesting, I’ve never seen this before, to be honest.
Looks like a great series. Will have to check it out soon.
Checking it out now.. A really interesting series, but I hope I won’t be addicted. Lol
I haven’t heard about “Celia”, but i think i must check it 🙂
I’ve never seen this but it makes me intrigued! I also love watching drama series. I will check it out
Let me know what you think Wendy.
I haven’t seen that one yet, but it looks wonderful! I am a Netflix binge-watcher myself. Right now, I’m binging on Shameless (which is probably not nearly as family-friendly as this show).
I watched shameless when it first came out 🙂
BTW, trust me. You are not alone in your addiction. Add me in the list.
I haven’t seen this series, but I am always looking for something good to watch! I will have to check it out.
I’ve been wondering about this series on Netflix. I don’t know much about Celia Cruz other than her most popular hits so I wondered if I’d enjoy it, but it sounds interesting from your review of it. I will definitely have to check it out now! Thank you,
I haven’t seen this show while browsing through Netflix. Or if I did, I didn’t notice it. I’ll have to look for it tonight. Looks like something I could get into.
Wish I kept Netflix… Sounds like a show that made you think! Marcia
#chicksconnect
I like the way you treated this topic,now am going to look for the series to watch.lol
This looks amazing, can’t wait to see it
I haven’t heard of this series but it sounds really interesting. I will look into it. Will check it out.
I love it when shows are historically accurate! Props to the network for also taking on a subject that isn’t all light and fluff. There are plenty of those shows already.
This show looks like a lot of fun! I will have to see if I can get it on Australian Netflix!
This looks like a show I would really enjoy. Will look into this.
I’ve never heard of this before now. Will have to check it out, thanks!
I have to say I’m not familiar with this singer but the costumes and styling of this show are gorgeous. I am definitely a show binger though. RIght now mine is Golden Girls haha. I don’t know what that says about me….
OOOh another one to add to my ever expanding Netflix list – it just keeps getting longer. This show looks really fun though. One to watch when you want a pick-me-up
Omg! The series sounds interesting. I would love to watch this…
I didn’t know it was on Netflix. I will look for it TONIGHT! Thank you for letting me know 🙂
I didn’t even know there was a show on Netflix based on her. I know the did one on Telemundo or Univision, did you watch that? I’m gonna look for it… I also like that they choose Hispanic and Afro-Latino actors to play the roles. If they didn’t I would not want to watch as much.
My parents are watching it and they’re totally addicted to the show. Now with your recommendation, I should put it on my list.
I’ve heard great things about this series, my Uber driver the other day recommended it. Gonna have to check it out.
This sounds great. I was looking for some good stuff on Netflix. Would try this now
Netflix has so many great series, I myself was hooked on Bates Motel, Strange Things, Daredevil and Frontier… I will try to watch Celia this coming weekend…
I haven’t heard of Celia before but this sounds like a great movie to watch. Thanks for sharing!
I haven’t heard of this show until this post! I am going to have to check it out soon!
I’m not much into Netflix but it sounds interesting! I do love dancing to her music though! 😉
This is great! I will have to check it out!
Wow! I think I need to watch this .. I totally love that so much of our Latino history and culture is influencing the US! Thanks for sharing
Sounds like such a great show! I don’t think we have this on Aussie netflix though :
Amanda
I have gotten addicted to way too many shows on Netflix! I haven’t watched this one, but it’s amazing how much content is actually out there to watch. I usually try to limit most of my tv show watching to just watching during my 45 minute elliptical or treadmill workouts as it helps motivate me to do them and I get to get a little “me” time in during my workout!
Steven, I know what you mean. I listen to all of my podcasts during my daily runs.
This sounds fabulous! I will definitely need to check it out. I love films/tv programmes based around true stories, so might be right up my street x
I’ve been trying to learn Spanish for a while now. Maybe I’ll bookmark this show for comprehension practice once I get a little more fluent.
I love netflex! have not watched this one. I will have to add it to my list.
I’m netflix addict and i love to discover new series! Need to try watch this one!
I’ve never seen this series before, but the genre is what I like!
I love finding little netflix gems to binge watch. With the weather getting colder on the east coast I am always looking for new shows and movies to add to my “watch list” this sounds like one I would add. Thanks for sharing!
Hahahaha I didn’t know that you loved it that much till I found the photo of your Tablet all hooked up. I am curious and will check it out.
OK, so I watched the first two episodes and the I went to Disney for the first time and lost track! …. Well it was Mickey Mouse! I’m about to start catching up….. It is a phenomenal cast! Thanks for sharing!
Marisa, you HAVE to tell me how you like it as you move on in the series. Seriously though, Disney trumps all!
This is a lovely articulation of history!
Oooo this looks like one awesome show!!! I will have to check it out