Watching shows and films that are classified as “foreign language” media are ones that I always want to watch more of. Though I don’t particularly enjoy the phrase “foreign” when applied to these mediums, because this denotes that the English language is somehow the centre of the universe and anything else is an outlier, I do enjoy that Netflix is making an active effort to introduce more originals into their roster that are filmed in languages other than English.
Popular existing examples of this are shows like Dark, Money Heist, and The Rain. So the new show Osmosis, created by Audrey Fouché, is following in the footsteps of an already established genre that is rising in its popularity. Here are my first impression thoughts on the show!
Language
Personally, I think watching shows and films that are in a different language other than the one you speak (this particularly applies to English-speakers) is great because it allows you to immerse yourself in ways that might be hard to do otherwise. For example, I personally would like to learn to speak French, because my understanding is very basic at best. Many people suggest and swear by watching shows in the language they’re learning to help them understand its conversational structure, and I can already tell after watching one episode of Osmosis that this is true.
The reason I single out English-speakers is because it is very easy to get trapped in the North American and Western bubble of comfort. English is considered the “universal” language, and I find that this can be a double-edged sword for those living in Western landscapes. For example, North Americans have a notorious reputation for being entitled when traveling abroad, lacking the care or effort to try and understand or even learn other languages when immersed in non-English speaking countries, and expecting the entire world to cater to their own sense of comfort. I am guilty of exhibiting this behaviour myself, which is why I think it’s increasingly important for people in the Western world particularly to immerse themselves in media that is perhaps not the most naturally comfortable.
Because of this factor, I highly suggest that viewers watch the show in its original language, French, with subtitles in your native language to help understand what’s going on in the show (if you are able to). There is an English dub, but I find that this takes away from the essence of the show, because the language, setting and tone are so notably intertwined.
Casting
Though I am not particularly familiar with many French actors and their work, due to the fact that I haven’t watched many French shows or films, I can already tell that this bunch is great. What I really appreciate about this show so far is that, even though many of the characters are Caucasian, there is a mixture of PoC actors in there as well. In particular, Yuming Hey, an actor who identifies as gender non-conforming, plays the character Billie. This is particularly exciting to me because gender non-conforming characters have rarely been portrayed in mainstream films and television shows. I am also giddy (and slightly embarrassed) to say that I recognize the actor who plays main character Paul as Hugo Becker, who played Prince Louis on Gossip Girl. (While the Prince Louis storyline was full-on ridiculous, Becker’s acting chops were apparent despite his poorly fleshed out character). Regardless of who I do or do not recognize, the pilot episode of Osmosis has already proven that this show is full of dynamic characters played by equally dynamic actors.
Storyline
It’s not new news to be a Sci-Fi show on Netflix. With releases like Altered Carbon, The 100, Sense8, Black Mirror, The OA, Stranger Things, and many more, the concept and feel of Osmosis isn’t particularly groundbreaking. The premise is that there is a brother-sister duo (Paul and Esther) that have created a program, Osmosis, that is meant to use robotics and tech implants to help people find their “soulmate”. Using algorithms and other science-based methods, mixing virtual reality with physical reality becomes an enticing idea when it involves finding true love. The catch? It’s in its trial phase. The other catch? The funding is being cut right as trials start because of issues between the funders and Paul. Tensions arise, technology is disrupted, and familial mysteries are introduced in this episode. I can honestly say that while the concept of this show is not mind-blowing thus far, it seems like one that I will get easily hooked on. After all, it presents itself as a mix of Black Mirror, Westworld and the few minutes I saw of Altered Carbon, so how could I not be intrigued?
Check out the trailer for Osmosis below!
~ Z ~
Photo by Lily Banse on Unsplash
