It’s a good time to be a fan of Latin American literature. Classics that we grew up reading, like “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” “Pedro Paramo,” and “Like Water for Chocolate” are reaching new generations and breaking language barriers, all through television.
These adaptions, housed in Netflix and Max, are vastly different, yet are all proud Latin American productions. While they’re airing on international streamers, they’re based on the work of Latin American writers and serve as a hub of Latin American talent, employing actors, writers, directors, producers, and more.
They’re also a different type of Latin American representation for international viewers.
“It does offer that kind of alternative storyline from what really audiences have grown accustomed to,” said Ana Cristina Ramon, the director of the entertainment and media research initiative at the University of California to NBC News.
© Warner Bros
“Like Water for Chocolate” has been a great success on Max, which renewed it for a second season. The adaptation, which is based on the novel written by Laura Esquivel was produced by Salma Hayek, who described it as one of her passion projects.
She shared the personal story of her connection to the story, revealing that the original film came out in the ’90s when she’d just moved to the United States and was having trouble booking jobs.
“And all of a sudden there is this one film that is practically the first film in Spanish based on a Latin American novel that had a crossover success in the United States. It sounds like nothing … but you don’t know what it meant for me,” she said to Harper’s Bazaar.
© NetflixNew types of Latin American adaptations
Book adaptations are nothing new. They’re currently one of Hollywood’s obsessions, which is why there are so many films and TV shows based on books and comic books over the past two decades.
“I love to see that domino effect in which these works of literature are being made into shows,” said Cruz Castillo, who works for the National Hispanic Media Coalition, to NBC News.
When discussing “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” Netflix had the daunting task of finding the right people to adapt a story that’s considered by many as one of the best masterpieces of all time, regardless of its language. The streamer was tasked with ensuring that its Latin American roots remained intact.
“Adapting a masterpiece is a huge challenge,” said Francisco Ramos, the Latin American content vice president of Netflix to Reuters. “We never had any doubt the enormous talent from Latin America – in this case mostly from Colombia – would be up to the task. They just needed the support and opportunity.”
You can watch all of these projects on Netflix and Max, with “One Hundred Years of Solitude” premiering its first half today, December 11th.
© Netflix