Netflix’s Back to 15 aka De Volta Aos series feels like a reinvention of iconic romantic comedies from the early 2000s such as 30 Going on 13 and Freaky Friday, with a twist of Netflix’s modern comedy delight Russian Doll. Maisa Silva and Camila Queiroz headline the series. The other cast members include Amanda Azevedo, Lucca Picon, Klara Castanho, Bruno Monteleone, João Guilherme, Gabriel Stauffer and others, who are going to join our two protagonists in their journey about self-discovery. The series consists of six episodes, each with a runtime of 30 to 45 minutes. Audio and subtitles are present both in Brazillian and English.
– De Volta Aos aka Back to 15 Review Does Not Contain Spoilers –
Back to 15: Time Travelling, Again!
It almost seems like time-travelling stories never get old and audiences are always looking for something new in this genre. But, how long is the same plotline of the older self finding the younger self to make their future life wholesome going to work? Netflix has recently given us tons of titles in the same lines, starting from Looop Lapeta to the upcoming Ryan Reynolds starrer The Adam Project. It is not just Netflix, even HBO Max is adapting the acclaimed book the Time Traveller’s Wife into a series when it has already been made into a film previously.
Well coming to Netflix’s latest release, the Brazillian series titled Back to 15 aka De Volta Aos is nothing different but, a nostalgic trip of the 2000s, making us remember classics like 17 Again! and Big. The series focuses on the theme of self-discovery and maturity. We meet our protagonist Anita (played by Maisa Silva), a 15-year-old dreaming of what adventures her adult life would offer her. Fast forward, we meet Anita again, when she is 30 (played by Camila Queiroz) and her life looks nothing like she had expected it to be.
The 30-year-old Anita unknowingly discovers a method through which she is able to visit her younger self. When she visits her past, she sets out on a journey to rewrite her story to make her future better. The soul of a 30-year-old in the body of a 15-year-old teenager and their journey together is what holds Back to 15 together.
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Both Silva and Queiroz play their part to perfection, it is rare to doubt where they stand in the series. However, it is inevitable that the series follows the same old pattern of these time-travelling stories, which ultimately results in a bland watch. The series tries to throw comic elements at the audience, but the juggle between two timelines of jokes is not an easy task to get through.
The question of if the journey made by both our protagonists results in something fruitful arises, we can let you know that it hits the right chord in giving us an ending or closure that we can all be happy about.
Back to 15: Final Verdict
Summing up Back to 15, the show is a short watch and has its moments. The actors are good and at times all the time travelling even makes sense. But, it has nothing new to offer to the audience, making it a show you can skip. However, if you want to watch this latest Brazillian series, you can stream all episodes of Back to 15 aka De Volta Aos now on Netflix.
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you know that… in brazil we speak portuguese not brazilian… right?
Yes, thank you. I do know. However, the subtitles section in Netflix has it titled as “Brazillian”, to avoid confusion for readers, we have retained the original dialogue from the OTT platform.
I think is important to note that the TV show came from a book by Bruna Vieira
Thank you for your valuable comment. We will surely note it.