Learn more about Unsoul, Globo's supernatural thriller
Unsoul was first shocased during the Berlinale Series Market
25-09-2020
One of the most awaited releases of 2020, the series “Unsoul”, a Globoplay original, marks the debut of a new genre among Globo productions. Set in the small and mysterious city of Brigida, a community colonized by Ukranians in the Brazilian countryside, the plot tells how an event from 30 years prior has returned to haunt the populace. Written by Ana Paula Maia, the series is directed by Carlos Manga Jr., the director of 'Aruanas' and 'If I Close My Eyes Now', which was nominated to the 2019 Emmy Awards for Best Limited Series.
Showcased in February at the Berlinale Series Market, the series sparked the audience’s curiosity and left everyone amazed at the production. Colombian journalist Emiliano Granado, from Variety, praised the photography’s work with shadows: “The production quality is notable, and reminds me of American independent films. This first episode might very well be shown in theaters,” he said. “I see in this first episode a dramatic composition that attracts the audience and takes them deep into genre narratives, which are uncommon in Latin America TV”
The plot: Suspense builds up in two parallel timelines. The first takes place thirty years in the past, when a dramatic event marks the story of a small town: the disappearance of a young lady by the name of Halyna, during the traditional Ivana Kupala festivities. After the tragedy, the townsfolk of Brigida permanently ban the celebration. On the other timeline, 30 years later, the city is preparing to reinstate the traditional festival when intriguing events begin to torment the community. On the nights leading up to the darkest evening of the year, when dark souls have the power to walk in the world of the living, the forest seems to attract the feeble-minded to its cold paths and dark, tall trees, where supernatural events haunt the members of the families involved in the tragedy from the past.
“It’s a story about metaphysical events, but they only take place because of a human drama. It is not simply terror,” explains director Carlos Manga Jr., who lead the series production with a keen aesthetic eye to ensure the proper ambiance. “We want the audience to imagine things for themselves. In directing the series, we created settings that will arouse the imagination. You may not be seeing things, but you can feel them. I like to call it ‘suggestive direction’: a closed door that appears open in the next scene; a camera shot that slowly closes in on a room where nothing happens,” he adds.
Star-studded cast: Actress Cassia Kis plays the witch Haia with a very dark look, in stark contrast with her roles in Iron Island and also in The Party – for which she won the coveted APCA Trophy for Best Actress, from the Paulista Association of Art Critics. Claudia Abreu, who plays Agnes, is one of the most versatile Brazilian actresses; she has played roles as diverse as “Laura”, a beautiful villain in the 2003 telenovela Celebrity, and “Chayenne”, a decadent yet comic singer in Sparkling Girls (2012). The trio of leading actresses is complete with Maria Ribeiro, who had a striking role in Empire (2014), winner of the International Emmy for Best Telenovela.
Unsoul
Series | 10 x 1 HR
A small town is shaken by supernatural events, bringing to light the secrets of a crime from the past that ties three families’ destinies through time.