Brazil Avenue: a country united by soap operas
Today I have an unmissable appointment at 9 pm: I'm going to watch the final chapter of Avenida Brasil, the soap opera of "Hi, hi, hi!". I want to know who killed Max, what will be Carminha's fate and if Nina and Jorginho will live happily ever after. And I know I have a lot of company for this commitment, after all the soap opera had an average of 38.5 points of audience.
Even without having this number, just take a look around to realize the success of the soap opera: people comment in the market queue, waiting for the salon, at work break, Twitter, Facebook and where else can interact with someone. This taste for soap operas seems to be a characteristic of most Brazilians - so much so that they have become an export product.
Always the same story
I read in Superinteressante: “These stories are so successful because, despite changing according to genre, author and time, they deal with millenary issues such as encounter, separation, betrayal, secrecy, mystery and disputes, ” says Maria Lourdes Motter, professor of USP Telenovela Research Center. “The difference is the huge technological breakthrough.”
To me that makes a huge sense: As much as they say that history is always the same, the dilemmas of humanity are always the same. There are those who have not suffered from love mismatches or had to deal with a big secret. And it's very reassuring to see these dilemmas being solved, even if it is in fiction.
Alienation?
Much of the criticism of soap operas concerns their "alienating power", but I disagree with that. In Avenida Brasil, for example, Tufão, who is a former soccer player, spent the whole soap opera with books in his hands. Agate, a school-age girl, always showed up doing homework, studying for exams, and - what I find most fantastic - teaching Adauto, an illiterate street cleaner, to read.
In addition, Agata is an obese child, and the soap opera shows her mother, Carminha, more disturbing than helping her daughter to take care of her health, often making fun of her because she is fat. Being the villain of the novel, Carminha's behavior gives a negative image and it is not necessary to say with all the letters that "this is not the way to treat an overweight child".
Even José de Abreu (the Nile performer), who is politically known, stated in an interview: “Critter, the level of literature, direction, cinematography, interpretation, etc., etc., etc. of a 'Avenida Brasil', which is freely transmitted to the people! (...) In terms of entertainment, soap operas like 'Cordel encantado', 'Avenida Brasil' and many others are of the highest level, which is very rare to see on an open TV, anywhere in the world. The soap opera is being commented on by columnists from all areas, from football to politics. ”
Relief, at least in fiction
Perhaps my biggest reason for liking soap operas is because, when I get home from college, work, and flamenco, I would like to have a moment of rest, during which I don't have to answer or attend. no one. It's the “let me be stupid” thing I mentioned in another post (I don't think soap operas are a kind of inferior pastime; I think every moment calls for a different activity).
What I mean is that it is comforting to know that, at least in fiction, all problems are solved in the end. No matter how much the girl suffers and how much she has to fight, everything will work out until the last chapter. A little hope, anyway.
