Spanish politics has been more divided than ever for years in our young democracy. But don’t worry, you haven’t made the wrong choice. We are still in Fotogramas and our thing, as you well know, is to talk about movies and television series. But the truth is that politics is part of life and, as such, of cinema and television. We can find illustrious recent examples such as ‘The Regime’ or ‘Years & Years’ or classics such as ‘The West Wing of the White House’ among the most famous political series, but there is another that is capable of bringing even our politicians into communion.
Pedro Sánchez, Pablo Iglesias and Albert Rivera confessed to being fans of ‘Borgen’, a 30-episode series broadcast between 2010 and 2013 that deserves more recognition. Yes, perhaps delving into Danish politics (Borgen is the common name for Christiansborg Castle, where the three branches of government of Denmark are located: Parliament, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Supreme Court) or being, simply, a Nordic fiction, has relegated it to a more minority audience. But quality is, in the end, what should count.
Therefore, if we or our most famous politicians are not enough for you as a recommendation, the opinion of Stephen King himself is worth it. In an article for Entertainment Weekley, Stephen King placed ‘Borgen’ at the top of his list as number one above popular television fiction classics such as ‘Breaking Bad’ or ‘Game of Thrones’. He himself made it very clear.
It doesn’t take long to realize that Danish politics is no different from American politics. Sidse Babett Knudsen plays Birgitte Nyborg Christensen, who becomes Denmark’s first female prime minister, which apparently results in a political setback. On American television, when family and ambition conflict, too often (and unrealistically) family triumphs. You won’t find that sugar-coating here…although you might find it if the series comes to NBC. For now, however, just know this: ‘Borgen’ is a top-notch drama in any language.
Starring Sidse Babett Knudsen, in the series we also find Birgitte Hjort Sorensen and, to continue the comparison with ‘Game of Thrones’, Pilou Asbaek. In addition to the series that ended in 2013, Netflix launched a sequel of only eight chapters in 2022 called ‘Borgen: Kingdom, Power and Glory’, equally acclaimed by critics, and in which Birgitte Hjort’s character takes on a more relevant role. Sorensen.
‘Borgen’ is, without a doubt, the great television classic to discover on Netflix.
Rafael is an expert in movies, series and video games. His thing is classic and auteur cinema, although he doesn’t miss one from Marvel or the hit of the moment on Netflix due to professional deformation. He also has a geeky side to him, as proven by his specialization in anime, k-pop, and everything related to Asian culture.
By generation, sometimes he has to write about current musical hits, from Bizarrap to Blackpink. It even has its erotic side, but limited, unfortunately, to selecting the best of erotic series and movies. But he doesn’t limit himself there, since he also likes to write about gastronomy, travel, humor and memes.
After 5 years writing for Fotogramas and Esquire, the truth is that he has already done a little bit of everything, from interviews with international stars to mobile phone presentations or tastings of oil, insects and, yes, if he’s lucky, wine.
He trained in Audiovisual Communication at the University of Murcia. She later continued at the Carlos III University of Madrid with a Master’s Degree in Research in Media. In addition to beginning a doctorate on sexual representation in arthouse cinema (which she never finished), she also studied a Master’s degree in film criticism, both at ECAM and at the Writers’ School. Before, he cut his teeth writing on the Cinealacarbonara blog, continued in media such as Amanecemetropolis, Culturamas or Magnolia Magazine, and dedicated all his efforts to Mutaciones Magazine since its foundation.
He arrived at Hearst in 2018 and managed to carve out a niche for himself in the editorial offices of Fotogramas and Esquire, with which he continues to write about everything he likes and what they send him (often coincides). His good or bad taste (depending on how you look at it) also led him to get into the world of gastronomy and video games. Come on, he likes to entertain himself.
