The Chosen One: Season 1 – Netflix Series Review

The Chosen One (2019) is out on Netflix now and the mystery thriller has just six episodes in season 1. Obviously, this means it’s a pretty quick series to watch. Horror fans should tune in to this Brazilian Netflix series as well. Read why in our full review of The Chosen One here!

The Chosen One is a new Netflix series in the mystery and thriller genres. However, horror fans should definitely be happy with it as well, since it has quite a lot of horror elements. For one, it features a remote place and a mysterious cult. Also, it all begins with the Zika virus, which certainly is terrifying in and of itself.

The new Netflix series has just six episodes in season 1, so it’s one of those series you can easily binge-watch in a weekend (or even a long evening).

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Our review of the Netflix Series THE CHOSEN ONE (2023)

O Escolhido is the original title of this Brazilian Netflix series while the Spanish title is El elegido. And yes, of course, Netflix has included both plenty of subtitle and dubbing options.

Read more about this new Netflix show in our full The Chosen One review below.

The Zika virus, a faith healer and his cult… oh my!

Oh yeah, The Chosen One has enough elements to get me intrigued just from reading the plot. I mean, the Zika virus alone is scary enough, but going to a remote place where a faith healer seems to be in charge? Not exactly an easy task. And realizing this “healer” has his own cult? Now it’s just downright creepy.

And, of course, this is exactly the kind of stuff horror dream are made of. Well, nightmares as well, but in this particular case, it’s just a treat for horror fans. Officially, the genres for The Chosen One are just mystery and thriller but very rarely do these two genres not include at least elements of horror. And this Netflix series is no exception.

From watching just episode 1 of The Chosen One, you should be either completely hooked or at least intrigued. Actually, the ending of episode 1 should definitely be enough to make you watch episode 2. It’s one hell of a cliffhanger!

The three doctors in The Chosen One

We follow three doctors as they try to get the vaccine for the Zika virus to remote areas. The group of three doctors consists of a woman, a black man, and a rich white man who is leaving the group to work in a lab instead of the field.

The woman, Lúcia (Paloma Bernardi), is in charge of the small group, which is something her boss clearly doesn’t think she can handle. But honestly, she’s very capable and the two men are fine with her being in charge. The black man, Damião (Pedro Caetano), comes from a very poor background while the rich white man, Enzo (Gutto Szuster), is constantly overly cautious.

You will get to know the doctors better through flashbacks that focus on why they chose to become doctors. It seems a bit off at first, but it does give a lot of relevant insight that explains their motives and actions.

I didn’t know any of the actors, but if you’ve watched other Brazilian series, you might recognize Paloma Bernardi (Lúcia) since she’s been in a lot of productions. They’re all giving very believable and interesting portrayals in The Chosen One. The same goes for the leader of the remote village, Mateus, who is played both charming and terrifying by Mariano Mattos Martins.

Watch The Chosen One on Netflix now!

All six episodes are directed by Michel Tikhomiroff. He previously worked on the HBO Latin America series O Negócio which is a series along the lines of Sex and the City. It has nothing to do with the style of The Chosen One but certainly proves that Tikhomiroff knows how to direct for TV series.

The writers of the six episodes are Raphael Draccon and Carolina Munhóz. Raphael Draccon also wrote for the horror mystery series Supermax about “an abandoned maximum security prison in the middle of the Amazon forest”. For Carolina Munhóz, this is her first writing credit and she is also a co-executive producer on the series along with co-writer Draccon.

If you enjoy mystery thrillers with an overall creepy feeling to it, then The Chosen One is definitely worth checking out.

The Chosen One season 1 consists of 6 episodes and will be out on Netflix globally from June 28, 2019

Details

Director: Michel Tikhomiroff
Stars: Paloma Bernardi, Renan Tenca, Pedro Caetano

Plot

Determined to bring a Zika vaccine to the remote Pantanal, three doctors clash with a faith healer and are pulled deeper into the mysteries of his cult.