Picture Credit: Netflix
With its 10-minute episodes and timely premise, Proyecto Final follows teenagers bonding with each other to validate their school year. But should you indulge in this breezy summer binge?
Eagle-eyed Netflix subscribers enjoying Latin American content may have noticed the drop in May of psychological family thriller Between Father And Son. The season was quite unusual, as it comprised 20 episodes of 10 minutes; and now, we have a second project with that same format, teenage thriller drama Final Project (Proyecto Final), also produced by Mexican-Colombian company VIS Studios. The pitch is simple: recently transferred student Tamara (Isabella Tena) is partnering on her final school project with streamer and more popular student Xavi (Tristán Maze). But as she falls for him, an Instagram account launches a cyberbullying campaign threatening to reveal all on her past.
Don’t call this project “microdrama”… yet: even though Netflix launched a vertical content tab on its mobile app, this project is designed to be enjoyed on all screens. Yet Netflix also has content coming specifically for that vertical tab. Even though the platform will not confirm additional plans to get more shows in the vein of microdramas, Final Project possesses all the characteristics of a microdrama: episodes containing three or four big sequences, including a pre-title card teaser, a limited number of characters and stakes, and sustained cliffhangers and tensions renewing the interest every episode. Music also plays a significant role, with Spanish-language pop-rock in the background of every scene, and tense sound effects underlining every reveal; in other words, the most efficient elements of teen dramas and telenovelas all rolled into one, to serve and lead the audience by the hand into the “easy” stakes of the show.
But what about the show itself? Well, characters are introduced with their social media handles, and are barely more defined than their stated archetypes: Tamara is “the goth”, Xavi is “the jock” with a self-care channel following the trend of “looksmaxxing” (don’t expect the show to provide insightful views into that topic); Daniel is “the best friend” (and sometimes provides video receipts to what Xavi is up to); and Samantha is “the princess”, in a relationship with Xavi, with all the trappings of the “mean girl”… but unfortunately, none of the singularities. Creator and main writer Bernardo Izaza Capdevielle wastes no time in telling us that things will go very, very wrong from the first sequence of the show; yet episodes struggle to gain momentum even as the thriller aspects arrive earlier than expected. The cyberbullying angle just provides a window into exposing the past of Tamara, but Final Project goes through the motions of tame romance and high school backstabbing more than this particular red herring. Even as threats multiply for the characters, so do the clichés and a very dull way to respond to them.
Mostly a harmless show, which plays at best like a decent creative exercise, Final Project begs the question of why Netflix sees a purpose in having these projects on their Latin American line-up: teen audiences will be better served elsewhere to seek thrills of “microdrama” content, mostly on the free competing platforms that have made that format a specialty. As of now, there is not much of an added value or “premium” in having these types of shows produced exclusively for their platform. Just like its characters, Final Project exists as a sort of trial, a careful, formatted entry into microdramas, but has no lasting impact or identity beyond that; hopefully, it serves as a launching pad for more ambitious, twisted projects in the field if there is a strategy to be deployed.
Watch Final Project If You Like
- 13 Reasons Why
- Control Z
- Rebelde
Our Verdict
Reserved for fans of the genre, the short-form series fails to make a lasting impression, but may mean more interesting concepts and projects in the near future. Teen subscribers who are the target audience of the show will be better served with other premium dramas that have premiered in recent weeks.
