Marianna Ciarlante January 25, 2024
Netflix has decided to tell the story of Griselda Blanco, one of the most powerful drug traffickers of all time. He achieved this with the six-part drama miniseries Griselda, created by the same creators of Narcos and Narcos: Mexico, Eric Newman and Andrés Baiz. The protagonist is an extraordinary Sofia Vergara, who tried for the first time and with excellent results in a dramatic role, for which she said she had studied for ten years.
Vergara didn't just play Griselda Blanco, she became one. She took on the appearance, the movements, she realized her intentions of this woman who would have done anything for her children, power and salvation. And she embraced her role with pride, using her strengths and weaknesses to make her a great feminist hero. And it is precisely around this fascinating and feared female figure that the plot of Griselda revolves, a Netflix dramatization inspired by the life of the clever and ambitious Griselda Blanco, who managed to manage business and family in Miami in the 70s and 80s retain a mix of intelligence and charm that earned her the nickname “Godmother.”
The true story of Griselda Blanco
Griselda: an example of female empowerment
Griselda Blanco is a real woman who was able to build an empire from nothing. A former Colombian prostitute, very poor but with a great ability to read people and understand their deepest needs, a quality that led her to dominate a world in Florida in the 70s where it was impossible to be women to get close to that of medicines. But Griselda Blanco was not just any woman and so she managed to become an undisputed leader in the drug trafficking sector, an example of female empowerment and a source of inspiration for other women who, in a time when they were relegated to the profession of housewife, They could dream big while watching his exploits. A character so strong, stubborn and dominant that he frightened even the biggest drug dealers of his time, including Pablo Escobar.
As strong as she was fragile, very ambitious but also blinded by her own lust for power, Griselda always lived with high goals until the same ambition that made her great became the reason for her downfall. But Griselda Blanco wanted to be the most powerful, the best, the richest and the most loved, and in the end she succeeded, she was the architect of her success but also of her own end.
In the Netflix series, the character of Griselda Blanco is contrasted in a very intelligent and sophisticated way with that of another woman who is her exact opposite: Detective June Hawkins. The latter, in contrast to Griselda, actually becomes an example of a woman who is moved by fear and frustration, by insecurities and a feeling of inferiority from which she can never completely free herself. So June, obsessed with Griselda Blanco, whom she wants to capture but whose charms she exposes, adds to the story the very interesting contrast between two women who represent the two extremes of the female figure: on the one hand, the woman who believes in himself, on the other hand, what he doesn't do, and from this point of view the story takes on a completely new color.
What happened to the real Griselda Blanco?
Griselda: the strengths of the Netflix series
Griselda is a wonderful surprise from Netflix, a title so successful that we don't regret Narcos, let alone other titles about true stories with great female protagonists.
The merit of Griselda's beauty lies in the script, which always takes care to give space and depth to each character, even the most secondary ones, but also in the excellent direction of the episodes by the excellent Andrés Baiz. However, one must admit that the outcome of this series would not have been the same without the exceptional performance of Sofia Vergara.
In fact, with her first dramatic role, in which she completely immersed herself and almost merged with the character of Griselda Blanco, the actress of Colombian origin proved that she is not just Gloria Delgado from Modern Family, a character that trapped her in a limitation held the label of an “easy” actress who has more to offer the audience.
Irreverent, profound, captivating and full of thought-provoking: Griselda is a feminist and non-conformist story, just like its protagonist Griselda Blanco. It's a series that talks about motherhood, ambition, power and love, but above all a series that talks about women and with women. Be overwhelmed by Griselda Blanco's magnificent personality, rejoice with her in her successes, root for her redemption and for the female independence she always dreamed of. Be inspired by his willpower, persistence and confidence to make it through even the darkest moments. And suffer with her for her mistakes, for her stylistic mistakes and for the tragic end that she was always aware of, but which was necessary in order to be able to lead a life as grandiose as the one she had.
Do it because in return you will get a nice show and a good dose of emotions.
Rating: 8
Griselda, the explanation of the ending