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The creator of “Red Bracelets” returns to the small screen with another story of overcoming, that of five young people who decide to undertake a journey towards freedom. «Los espabilado», the series that premieres today on Movistar +, tells the story of Mickey L’Angelo, Guada, Yeray, Lucas and Samuel, some kids who decide to escape from the psychiatric hospital where they are held to go in search of one’s brother from them. During the trip they will have to deal with various medical conditions. Each one has a different diagnosis, which does not prevent them from seeing life with humor.
Espinosa returns to expose another story of overcoming, as he did with “Red Pulseras”, the TV3 series that was broadcast by Antena 3 throughout Spain. In it, this showrunner recounted the coexistence of a group of friends in the oncology ward of a hospital. That was the story of the writer himself, who lived for four years in a hospital because of the cancer he suffered as a young man.
With these types of stories, Espinosa tries to destigmatize both cancer and mental illnesses, which not only affect younger groups, but also adults and the elderly.
This series will also be the adaptation of one of his novels: What I’ll tell you when I see you again. According to the author, to create the protagonists he was inspired by the companions with whom he shared many of his moments in the hospital. In the series, these are Yeray (Marco Sanz), locked up for extreme aggressiveness; Samuel (Aitor Valadés), a “kind and pure” young man with social phobia, or Guada (Sara Manzano), diagnosed with bipolarity and depression. The cast is completed by Àlex Brendemühl, Miki Esparbé or Marta Torné.
The filming, which took place 95% outdoors, took place between Spain, France, Italy and Germany. Halfway between drama and comedy, the series addresses issues such as the lack of understanding between parents and children, the problems generated by social networks, bullying, transsexuality, Nazi concentration camps and even suicide.
The series tells the journey of these boys out of the center, 66 hours on the street, divided into seven 25-minute chapters directed by Roger Gual (“Smooking room”, 2002), throughout which characters such as Izan, played by Esparbé, a detective who will undertake the search for these lost children.
Alfred, a former contestant on “Operation Triumph,” performs the series’ soundtrack. Movistar + will premiere the first three chapters this Friday, and will publish two episodes each week. The production will make the international leap next April, when it can be seen in Germany through the Fox channel.
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