If you don’t know by now let me be the first to tell you about the new original series that Netflix has just released. Another one? You might ask. Yes! 3% is Netflix’s new original show (based off a 2011 YouTube series). Of course, the big streaming giant has had much new original content come out this year alone, so, what makes this new series any different or better than the rest? Why should you spend eight hours binge-watching this new show? Well unlike its other original content this is Netflix’s first Brazilian dystopian TV show.
In 3% society is divided into two groups: the poor stricken population and the lucky 3% of the population that gets to live in the Offshore (a paradise). When an individual turn’s twenty they are given one chance at the Offshore, but to get there they must go through The Process. The Process is a series of strenuous interviews and group activates meant to weed out the weak and leave only the best of the best for the Offshore.
The show brings us into the 104th year of The Process. It is led by Ezequiel (João Miguel), whose job it is to oversee the mental and physical challenges that the candidates must go through. The series revolves around a young vibrant group of diverse characters that all have different backgrounds, but that all desperately want to get to the Offshore. The cast is led by Bianca Comparato (a local Brazilian actress) who plays a young somewhat-naïve girl named Michele.
Alliances and betrayal are found through every passing second of the show. The candidates are forced to look after one another as much as they are pitted against each other, to get to the promised land of their dreams. Another threat to the candidates, Ezequiel, and the 3% is a rogue group of rebels that intend on bringing down the system.
3% has only been out for a couple of days, but people are already comparing it to The Hunger Games and Divergent. It is very compelling to compare these dystopian stories, but I would recommend refraining from doing so.
While Netflix is known for producing good quality content with its bigger budgets than those of its cable network counterparts, 3% does not look like any big Hollywood blockbuster movie. Much of the dystopian content that is produced for visual consumption tends to rely heavily on building the worlds of these far-off future societies. Highly advanced buildings, cars, and technology. While some of these things can be seen in 3% its setting could be described as very minimal compared to The Hunger Games or Divergent or The Maze Runner or any other dystopian Hollywood movie. Of course, this isn’t a bad thing. The acting is phenomenal. The writing is great. The flow of the story is amazing.
The show is directed by Cesar Charlone (Academy Award nominee for City of God). The show marks Brazil's and Netflix’s first project together. The entire cast is Brazilian and so is the production. This gives the show a unique un-American feel in the way it is told. I highly recommend this show. If you decided to watch it the first season consists of eight episodes that can be watched in Portuguese, English, and Spanish.
