Only For Love Review: Netflix’s Brazillian Romance Series is High on Predictable Drama

Releasing today, i.e. on September 21, 2022, Only For Love (So Se For Por Amor) is the new Brazilian musical drama series consisting of 6 episodes over the span of its first season. The leading characters are played by Lucy Alves, Filipe Bragança, Agnes Nunes, Ana Mametto, Gustavo Vaz and more.

Set in the Brazillian state of Goiás, the show vivifies the inherent role played by music in Brazillian culture. It often becomes a common means of expressing love, angst and so on through a poignant medium. Aspiring for success, music, love, heartbreak and all such intrinsically linked emotions weave a story of romance revolving around the music band Só Se For Por Amor, i.e. Only For Love.

Deusa and Tadeu band together with the other members of their group to share their musical gifts with their people on the road. Their ultimate dream of making it big in the industry seems to be set in motion when they’re asked to audition for César Marcolo’s music label. However, as things turn out, Marcolo decides to sign up Deusa as a solo artist instead. This compels her to choose between one of the two things – her career or love, and thereafter puts the story into motion by linking other characters with it.

The official synopsis of the show given by Netflix reads:

Lovers Deusa and Tadeu are in a band, but their relationship is put to the test when Deusa goes solo. Aspiring singer Eva just wants to be discovered. Soon, their lives collide in a tangled love triangle — the perfect inspiration for a sofrência song.

-Only For Love Review Contains Mild Spoilers-

While building up Deusa’s star image for the public, César directs his employees to incorporate as many cliches in her background story as possible because people love them. It turns out the first season of Only For Love is also built from the ground up on the same principle. The perennial involvement of these cliches renders the story too predictable.

The plot flows in one direction until the end, making it an easygoing storyline. Employing simple elements is often seen as an authentic and probable best tactic, the show proves that to a liminal extent. There’s neither anything grand about it nor is it anything out of the ordinary.

By threading several subplots to each other, it makes room for a lot of characters that play along to enrich the plot. Despite the presence of various LGBTQIA+ characters therein, the progressive twist to the show falls short.

Music speaks for itself and is truly the highlight of the series. It even goes beyond and establishes the Brazillian musical heritage by including many golden songs that can be easily recognized by the Latin American viewership. Even though these bits make it a hit, its predictable trajectory is its own kryptonite.

As you approach the end of the series, the dramatic quotient starts escalating at every step. It feels as if you’re actually sitting on what’s to come next and know exactly what is about to happen. When it does happen, you pat your back for being correct and start anticipating the next turn. It makes you wonder if it’s all being done in the name of love or simply to heighten the theatrics.

Every character has their own definition of love, and while this should have gone the distance, it fails to meet our expectations. As mentioned before, despite the inclusion of LGBTQ characters, the one lesbian in the series is again made to feel like an outsider. The stereotypes of the same weigh her down from the beginning and its stark visibility makes it all the worse.

Also Read: Fortune Seller A TV Scam Review: Wanna Marchi, the OG Influencer From Hell

Once that particular subplot has been brought to fruition in alliance with the protagonist’s arc, her story is completely called off screen and she’s never seen again. As far as Deusa’s portrayal is concerned, she’s also villainized. Everything that happens to her eventually becomes a means to an end in order to bridge the storyline, making her out to be the figure of a woman who was “too ambitious”.

All in all, either the LGBTQ+ characters are themselves posed as collateral, or the people associated with them are reduced to the same in other cases. Neither of them is fleshed out as people with personalities. Certain heteronormative relationships, on the other hand, present the two on-and-off girlfriends of the man sparring against each other, furthering the same one-dimensional male fantasy.

Only For Love: Worth the Watch?

Music keeps you glued to the storyline and even makes you feel for the characters during certain moments. However, the story itself is just one instance of stereotyped banality followed by another. Therefore, the show isn’t exactly something you would put on Only For Love (pun intended). It doesn’t leave you with anything positive concerned with love, but again, it doesn’t carry the desirous elements of angst either.

Watching it to pass the time is probably the only reason to get into this, apart from some likeable performances here and there. This is more of something that you can try rather than something you just can’t do without. If hackneyed and overused plot lines don’t perturb you, then you might even find a liking for the show.

Only For Love is now streaming on Netflix. Have you watched the show yet? What is your response regarding the same? Let us know in the comments section.

Also Read: The Real Bling Ring Hollywood Heist Review: Internet’s Role in a Shocking Burglary