Invisible City Season 2 Review: Clash Between Ancient and Modern Past and Present | Cidade Invisível

Cast: Manu Dieguez, Alessandra Negrini, Marco Pigossi, Rodrigo dos Santos, Rubens Caribé

Creator: Carlos Saldanha

Streaming Platform: Netflix

Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3.4/5 (three and a half stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Invisible City (Cidade Invisível), the Brazilian series by Carlos Saldanha, returns to Netflix with the second season available for streaming starting today, March 22, 2023. The themes around which Invisible City revolves, the first live-action project by Carlos Saldanha (nominated for two Oscars and famous for the animated franchises Ice Age and Rio), recall those of Equinox, the exploration of family relationships and diversity in particular, even if in this case the clash between past and present, between ancient and modern, but above all the ecological theme and the need to preserve popular culture become preponderant.

As we will see in this review of Invisible City Season 2, the second season of the show created by Carlos Saldanha (candidate for two Oscars and famous for the animated franchises Ice Age and Rio), resumes the formula of the previous tranche of episodes, mixing a modern and “urban” setting with beliefs older than the myth, creating a particular and successful mix. Città Invisibile is one of those products that best respond to one of the central philosophies of the streaming giant as a production and distribution company: the interest in “Glocal”, i.e. deeply “local” films and series which may, however, interest and also attract an international audience.

Invisible City Season 2 Review: The Story Plot

The story of a father who investigates the mysterious disappearance of his wife while trying to take care of his daughter is intertwined with those of ancient folklore entities deeply linked to forests and nature, connected to the violent past of a complex country like Brazil. In the second season, after having come back to life in the sacred waters near Belém do Pará, Eric (Marco Pigossi) does everything possible to find his daughter Luna (Manu Dieguez) and in the course of his search, he could discover the true nature of the girl.

Two years have passed since the final events of the first season of Invisible City, Luna (Manu Dieguez) and la Cuca (Alessandra Negrini) have embarked on a journey in search of Eric (Marco Pigossi), guided by the girl’s premonitory dreams. The two want to find him and try to bring him back to life, after he has been swept away by the waters to which, as an entity, he belongs. Luna’s dreams lead them to Belém do Pará, a city in northern Brazil adjacent to large natural reserves.

An ancient territory, full of stories, entities, and above all of the great power: it is in the forests of that region that a magical and mysterious city is hidden, Marangatù, a refuge for the creatures of the area. A refuge that is practically inaccessible and that they want to defend at all costs, but which is perhaps the place where Eric himself was dragged by the waters. It’s not just Luna and la Cuca who are interested in entering it, a group of entities and unscrupulous men, a family that owns several illegal mines, would like an access key to Marangatù because if the legend is true there are hidden huge amounts of gold.

Invisible City Season 2 Review and Analysis

The change of setting concerning the previous season, from Rio de Janeiro to Belém do Pará, is particularly functional to the plot of these new episodes and to the construction of the characteristic and fascinating atmosphere of this series. Brazil told in Invisible City is even more magical and wild, man and nature coexist in a reality guided by precise rules, in which ancient and modern mix but also collide. If in the first season, we were struck by how the evident dichotomy between ancient and modern, between past and present was told, here we feel even more the strong ecological intent at the heart of this story. The main themes of the series remain linked to the importance of preserving the natural world and Brazilian popular culture, but now the clash between rural, “indigenous” Brazil and the white, “gringa” modernity of the big cities is even more evident: the balance of the world of entities are at risk, and they must do everything to not be erased and forgotten by the “new” that advances.

Invisible City Season 2 tells of a world populated by extraordinary creatures with unique powers, linked to the forces of nature and a wild and brutal mysticism, also connected to the violent past of the Conquest, the clash between Europeans, the “gringos”, and the original indigenous populations of South America. Carlos Saldanha’s series once again seemed extremely interesting and intriguing about the various ideas it provides, a pity for an in-depth analysis of the main and secondary characters that are sometimes decidedly summarized. We would have liked to explore more precisely the past and the nature of those magical creatures who are the beating heart of this story and who have been able to fascinate us so much.

Invisible City Season 2 Review: The Last Words

Invisible City Season 2 remains an intriguing tale of the clash between ancient and modern, past and present. A story made of magic, beliefs, and folklore that continues to fascinate viewers from all over the world.