Nuevo Comienzo
| |
| Directed By | Manuél Barosso |
| Produced By | Alfredo Velarde |
| Written By | Manuél Barosso & Alfredo Velarde |
| Starring | Benny Truijio Reina Caballo Greta Orlando |
| Theme song | Color Esperanza by Diego Torres |
| Production Company | LibUno, Lost Minds Productions |
| Distributed By | LibUno |
| Release Date | 1670 |
| Running Time | 17 episodes of 60 minutes |
| Language | Martino |
Nuevo Comienzo (lit: New Start) is a Liberadosan drama television series and telenovela produced in 1670. The series is created by Alfredo Velarde and Manuél Barosso. It airs on LibUno.
The series features an ensemble cast of both well-known foreign actors, such as Greta Orlando, and local Liberadosan actors. The series was very well received in Los Liberados, where it is regarded as part of the national identity. Critics have described the series as an allegory of the Liberadosan struggle for independence.
Synopsis
The series revolves around two families: the Morales and the de Leon. The Morales are lower-class immigrants from San Pedro, whereas the de Leon family is part of the small, but wealthy, Martino elite. Throughout the series, the families become more and more intertwined. The series finale, coinciding with the Liberadosan independence, culminates in a marriage between the heir of the de Leon family, Jorge de Leon, and the youngest daughter of the Morales', Valencia.
Cast
Main
De Leon household
- Pablo Ruíz as Gerardo de Leon, pater familias of the de Leon family. Portrayed as a traditional and difficult man who has problems coming to terms with the new reality he faces.
- Sophie Valverde as Marta de Leon, the younger trophy wife of Pablo. Marta is a free-spirited, spoiled woman with liberal opinions.
- Benny Truijio as Jorge de Leon, oldest son and heir to the de Leon family fortune.
- Ursúla Grillo as Elvira de Leon, younger sister to Jorge.
- Renata de Sole as Gregoria Batista, Jorge's financée at the start of the series.
- Luis Murat, son of the de Leon family cook, friend of Jorge and Elvira's secret lover.
Morales household
- Greta Orlando as Nina Morales, matriarch of the family. An immigrant from San Pedro, she is determined to leave her children better off than herself.
- Enrique Basso as Donny Morales, oldest son and troublemaker, Donny becomes involved in various criminal undertakings.
- Layla Cahn as Paula Morales, oldest daughter.
- Rudi Gout as Hans Bach, a Kasterburger businessman with the Iron Company and Paula's husband.
- Reina Caballo as Valencia Morales, youngest daughter and Jorge's love interest
Recurring and Guest
- Walda Venredi as Ana Dolores, a clairvoyant prostitute.
- Alberto Iglesias as Victor Bardém, a captain in the Milicia de Hierro.
- Victoria Cuyo as Penélope García, fashion designer and Valencia's boss.
- Harry Yong as señor Ping, a Tegong spy.
- Tom Xi as señor Pong, a Tegong spy.
- Rath Basilbone as Peter Morales, the deceased husband of Nina (flashback).
- Jacobo Castrigo Álvarez as himself, cameo.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dos Familias | Manuél Barosso | The Morales family arrives in Los Liberados and has trouble fitting in, meanwhile, business trouble for the de Leons. |
| 2 | Los Ojos de Hendidura | Manuél Barosso | Two Jingdaoese agents arrive in Puerto Arcadio to counter the progress made by the Iron Company merchants. Jorge is arrested. |
| 3 | Criminal | Manuél Barosso | As the de Leons fight to safeguard their business interests, Donny Morales seeks other ways to make a living. |
| 4 | Irse | Manuél Barosso | Hans loses his job at the Company and moves to La Hampa with his pregnant wife Paula. Donny is getting into trouble. Meanwhile, Gregoria and Jorge have an argument. |
| 5 | Amor Prohibido | Manuél Barosso | Against his father's will, Jorge decides to open a business in the docks. He meets Valencia. |
| 6 | Nina | Manuél Barosso | Nina Morales has a heart attack. Donny faces the consequences of his choices. |
| 7 | Claro | Manuél Barosso | When Gerardo de Leon discovers Jorge's relationship with Valencia, all hell breaks loose. |
| 8 | Mi Padre es Loco | Manuél Barosso | Jorge has a difficult choice to make. The political situation on the island becomes heated. |
| 9 | Problemas en el Paradiso | Manuél Barosso | When Elvira's affair becomes public knowlege, Marta is forced to stand up for her family. |
| 10 | Libertas | Manuél Barosso | Against the backdrop of the liberación, both the Morales and the de Leon family are on the verge of falling apart. |
| 11 | Opportunidad | Manuél Barosso | Economic fortunes have changed for both families, but for better or worse? Jorge and Valencia get engaged in secret. |
| 12 | Mi Hijo Pequeño | Manuél Barosso | Drama in the Morales household when Donny is shot by a Milicia guardsman. Hans and Paula return with good news on the banana trade. |
| 13 | Amigo | Manuél Barosso | Geraldo de Leon makes a horrible choice to protect his family's honour, and has to pay the price for it. |
| 14 | Nuestras Elecciones | Manuél Barosso | At Geraldo's funeral, Jorge announces his engagement with Valencia. |
| 15 | Todos | Manuél Barosso | Valencia has trouble at work, but this is nothing compared to Marta's legal trouble. |
| 16 | Gracias a Dios | Manuél Barosso | Having gone through dark times, both the Morales and de Leon family learn to see the silver lining. |
| 17 | Siempre | Manuél Barosso | On the day of Liberadosan independence, Jorge and Valencia hold their wedding. |
Production
The series was produced by LibUno in cooperation with Lost Mind Productions, a Kasterburger company. Filming locations include: Puerto Arcadio, La Hampa and Cristina as well as some interior scenes being shot in film studios in Kasterburg city.
Reception
The series was received with great acclaim within Los Liberados, but has received mixed reception outside of it. Shirithian critic Marcus Saurprüm went as far as to describe Nuevo Comienzo as: "A bad mix of clichés, stereotypes and the most cheesy love story in the history of cinema. Add to that some nationalist propaganda and you end up with this".
In Constancia on the other hand, the series was received with some relief, as a welcome change from the diet of Babkhan period dramas and pastiches churned out by the Raspurid film industry, which had flooded the domestic market since Euran Unification.
