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Young love, class conflicts, and coming-of-age all converge in “Through My Window” (originally titled “A través de mi Ventana”) - a recently released Spanish drama on Netflix. In it, a teenage girl spends her days as a senior in high school living beside a not-so-ordinary boy next door. Raquel (Clara Galle) is a blue-collar girl obsessed with her elite neighbor, Ares (Julio Peña), the heir to a business empire.
One day, in a cringey reveal that would leave any ordinary person in the fetal position from embarrassment, Ares discloses that he has hacked Raquel’s WiFi and her computer. He has found tons of pictures of and writings about himself on the latter. Oh, and Ares makes it known that he is aware Raquel follows him around all of the time, branding her a stalker.
Instead of crumbling, Raquel is defiant, and “Through My Window” subsequently sees the pair get embroiled in a strange and high-charged tet-a-te. The aspect giving “Through My Window” an edge over its genre counterparts is that it approaches its romance from a weird angle. Raquel seems to have an unrequited fan-ish type infatuation with Ares that he exploits and curiously enjoys.
In an almost teenage Christian Grey sort of way, Ares lets his emotions towards Raquel run hot and cold. There is something sinister in his actions that “Through My Window” ignores in favor of a broody rebel without a cause diagnosis. His behavior is cruel and calculating, and his arrogance constantly sees him ignore the word, “no.” As much as Raquel says it, Ares disobeys it.
For Raquel, realizing that she has his attention makes her work even harder to focus on captivating Ares and convincing him to give a relationship with her a real chance. Raquel has her work cut out for her, though. The emotionally shallow Ares is going to be tough to convince. After all, he truly believes he is a god among boys. You can forget finding the humility of Peter of “To All The Boys” fame.
In contrast to that rom-com, “Through My Window” feels like Spain’s answer to the “After” film series, based on yours truly’s limited knowledge of that popularly adapted work. What draws you into Spain’s version is the suspense and the question of how you, as a viewer, want Ares and Raquel’s relationship to end. To be quite honest, this struggling romantic watched, not wanting Raquel and Ares’ twisted relationship to succeed.
In fact, I kept hoping they would break up and stay that way. Instead, their seemingly unbreakable connection is charged by incessant lust, an ingredient even “Fifty Shades” admits having limits as long-term relationship fuel. Add to that, there are so many creepy moments between Ares and Raquel. (The scene returning from the nightclub with Raquel, Ares, and his brother is bizarre at best.)
The bright side of all of this is that “Through My Window” does make for a classically engaging Spanish movie, of which there are many. Let’s close by stating the obvious if you have followed this site for a long time. I absolutely love Spanish cinema, and “Through My Window” is a prime example of why.
Theirs is a craft that is always edgy, passionate, thought-provoking, and consistently nuanced. Spain is a step beyond the rest for thrillers, and it is currently shoring up its romances with some daring entries. Thanks to Netflix, prospective viewers are getting to take a peek at movies and TV they would have sadly lived without. “Through My Window” is among those that are worth climbing to your seat to watch.
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