Dark Desire
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
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What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Dark Desire is a Spanish-language thriller. Focusing on a world of lies, adultery, and murder, it contains mature themes and lots of sexual content, including full nudity and graphic simulated sexual activity. Violence ranges from bloody shootings to other violent attacks. Spanish curses are audible (and sometimes translated in the subtitles), and there's plenty of drinking as well as lots of cigarette smoking.
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What's the story?
DARK DESIRE is a Mexican thriller about lies, adultery, and death. Professor Alma Solares (Maite Perroni) lives with her husband, Judge Leonardo Solares (Jorge Poza), and their daughter, Zoe (Regina Pavón), an aspiring medical examiner who likes to spend time with her uncle and criminologist, Esteban Solares. When Alma spends a weekend with her best friend Brenda Castillo (Maria Fernanda Yepes) to think about her husband's possible infidelity, she has a one-night sexual encounter with 20-something Dario Guerra (Alejandro Speitzer). But when she returns home, a series of events turns her life upside down, and she realizes that she can no longer trust the people around her.
Is it any good?
This dark and steamy Spanish-language series combines suspense and sex to create an erotic mystery. But the English subtitles offer no help when trying to understand the distorted narrative, which is filled with flashbacks and dream sequences that mostly contain explicit scenes of the characters' sexual exploits. This, combined with a telenovela-like attempt to stretch the story, causes it to drag on, and creates a sense of frustration rather than a fun sense of anticipation. Some may appreciate the good acting and the excellent camera work, as well as Dark Desire's attempts to titillate its audience. But if you're looking for a good thriller, you won't find it here.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about what makes a good thriller. How does Dark Desire create thrills as the mysterious story unfolds? Is it effective?
What is the purpose of including sexual content in TV and films? Can it help tell a story more effectively? Or is it simply for entertainment? How can we talk to kids about it?
TV details
- Premiere date: July 15, 2020
- Cast: Maite Perroni, Maria Fernanda Yepes, Jorge Poza
- Network: Netflix
- Genre: Drama
- TV rating: TV-MA
- Available on: Streaming
- Last updated: September 1, 2020
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
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