Dom Review: Bouts of revelry, familial tensions and LOTS of cocaine

3/5

What’s it about?

Bouts of revelry, familial tensions and LOTS of cocaine - Dom is Amazon Prime Video’s latest shot at bringing a little bit of Narcos to its platform. The series does justice to its premise - a warring father-son duo are both victims to a nationwide war on drugs. But as the story progresses, the audience realizes that perhaps the war has come too close to home before either of them could realize it. Inspired by true events, Dom tells the tale of the lines between right and wrong blurring slowly as Brazil falls down the rabbithole of rampant drug abuse in eight episodes, one hour long each.

What’s hot?

Authentically shot in Rio De Janeiro, Dom features an incredible soundtrack that heightens suspense when needed and makes the audience feel the weight of loss. The series brings the 2000s Brazil to life with its vibrant drug fueled parties, high stakes chases and instances of violence in a politically turbulent time. Flávio Tolezani’s Victor Dantas emotes the pain of being ardently against drug use but having to watch his own son waste his precious years battling with cocaine addiction. His techniques of making the situation better are not entirely effective - he handcuffs his son to the bed, refuses to treat him like an adult and fails to acknowledge that his son is hurting. But as the narrative progresses, the audience understands how his father in turn had moulded him to become who he is today by being exceptionally hard on him, and now when he is a father to Pedro, he embodies tough love with his own son.

Pedro Dantas, played by Gabriel Leone, is the epitome of a complicated child - he is 18 years old, is knee deep in drugs, and has slowly acquired the taste of power that spirals out of control. The plot soon shifts to how Pedro claws his way to the top, and emerges as Dom, the ultimate kingpin of drug smuggling in Brazil. He single handedly unleashes guttural violence and the only times he slows down is when he comes face to face with his father who cannot reveal his true identity. The innocent drug addict turns into a brutal leader who has a completely different vision for the country.

What’s not?

The hubris of Dom is in the number of episodes. The plot feels drawn out at times and the story loses its grip on the audience due to the constant back-and-forth. Breno Silveira does not give directives on what is right and what is wrong, he leaves it ambiguous for the audience to decide. Ultimately, you must choose a side - was Dom really the product of drug addiction or was he always inclined to choosing this lifestyle?

Verdict:

All in all, you should watch Dom if you’re craving a show like Narcos, but don’t expect yourself to be completely engrossed throughout.