After the drugs in White Lines – cancelled after its first season – and the robberies in La Casa de Papel, Álex Pina and his sidekick Esther Martínez Lobato tackle prostitution in Sky Rojo. A thorny issue in Spain, the health crisis has particularly revived debates. Sky Rojo takes up this delicate subject, thanks to an energetic female trio.
Three prostitutes, Coral (Verónica Sánchez), Wendy (Lali Espósito) and Gina (Yany Prado), leave their pimp, Romeo (Asier Etxeandia) for dead – also owner of the Las Novias club. Thus, they leave Tenerife to go on the run, not without being pursued by Romeo's henchmen, Moisés (Miguel Ángel Silvestre) and Christian (Enric Auquer).
A social issue in Spain
Of all the countries in Europe, Spain is the largest consumer of prostitution. According to statistics, 39% of Spaniards have already used the services of a prostitute. Sky Rojo speaks of a truth, which is still debated today, especially in these times of global pandemic. In addition, it should be remembered that brothels are allowed in Spain.
Like many places on Spanish territory, this one, fictitious, is a nightclub. He officiates legal cover at the club, to better hide clandestine activities. Who says pimping, can also say human trafficking. The character of Gina (Yany Prado) is an example. Recruited in Havana as a waitress, she discovers the abominable truth once she arrives in Tenerife.
The Las Novias club is home to dark secrets. Women subjected to the desires of ruthless customers, manipulative mackerel who do not hesitate to use their flaws… Sky Rojo depicts a horrific reality – sometimes voyeuristic, admittedly – but one that opens our eyes to the condition of these sex workers.
What we could criticize Sky Rojo is that it deals with the subject of prostitution but that it remains quite on the surface. This can be explained by relatively short episodes – about 25 minutes.
A frantic race
For the protagonists and the spectators alike, Sky Rojo is a frantic race. A race against time even, since these three women flee to survive! The short character of the episodes that make up this first season makes them all the more impactful, and the pace of the series, him, never runs out of steam.
Like Álex Pina's favourite baby, La Casa de Papel, Sky Rojo continues to plot twists, constantly reviving its intrigues and spicing up the three friends' runaway. With a colorful aesthetic but also an omnipresent soundtrack that perfectly accompanies its scenes, Sky Rojo keeps its energy.
Scenes of escape alternate with others, more tender, of complicity between the three women. A set that gives a first season well dosed in terms of emotions. One could also say that Sky Rojo draws its inspiration largely from Tarantino – among others. It is at the crossroads between A Night in Hell (1996) – of which he is the screenwriter – Death Boulevard (2007) or Thelma and Louise (Ridley Scott, 1991).
Three women vs. three men
Like the three anti-heroines, we perceive constant threat, oppression and danger. We are attached to these women who are so different but who complement each other in an excellent dynamic. In moments of calm, the scenario plunges us into the psychology of the three women as in their past, with a few elements, scattered here and there, without ever saying too much at once. We also owe this attachment to the qualities of interpretation of the three actresses, Verónica Sánchez (Coral), Lali Espósito (Wendy) and Yany Prado (Gina).
Facing this excellent female trio, a male trio, more inferior, yet composed of Asier Etxeandia (Pain and Glory), Enric Auquer and Miguel Ángel Silvestre (Sense8, Narcos). Despite the charisma of Asier Etxeandia similar to that of Pedro Alonso – Berlin in La Casa de Papel – this one remains in the background. However, Miguel Ángel Silvestre, interpreter of Moisés, shines again on the screen. Sky Rojo seems to be trying to humanize the three men, which can disturb at times… It's up to everyone to make up their own mind.
All the more addictive as the episodes are short and built to be chained in a few hours, Sky Rojo is breathless. A secondseason has already been ordered by Netflix, certain of the success of the first. One thing is certain, Sky Rojo will not leave the public indifferent.
