THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS Review: Returning to Its Roots

The core elements of Allende's narrative come to the fore in the new series adaptation.

The House of the Spirits
The first three episodes are now streaming on Prime Video. Subsequent episodes will debut every Tuesday.

First published in 1982, Isabel Allende's debut novel, The House of the Spirits (orig. La casa de los espíritus), became a bestseller, and won wide critical acclaim, leading to its film adaptation in 1993 starring Jeremy Irons, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, and Winona Ryder, all pretending to be South American, under the direction of Danish filmmaker Bille August. I haven't seen the 146-minute film, but Roger Ebert's review precisely dissects it in his review, noting among other things, that it "seems like a road production - like a French Guys and Dolls, an Italian Three Sisters, a British A Streetcar Named Desire. All of the characters have the right names, all of the necessary events occur, and indeed the very best local actors have been engaged. But the soul has been mislaid."

Allende's narrative spans decades in telling its story of the Trueba family, which lends itself to a narrative series, rather than a film, no matter the length. Created by Francisca Alegria and Fernanda Urrejola, who collaborated as director and co-writer, respectively, of eco-thriller The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future (2022), reviewed by our own Shelagh Rowan-Legg, the series is narrated in voice over from a modern-day perspective, as young Alba reads from the diaries of her grandmother.

The show features shifting protagonists, but begins in the first episode with Clara as a precocious child in a well-to-do family. Clara's beloved uncle, who has been traveling abroad, appears to her in person in church one day, even though no one else can see him. Upon arriving home, her family discovers that the uncle has also returned home, only in a casket. Throughout her childhood, Clara finds that she has certain magical abilities, as well as tragic premonitions.

The first episode also introduces Esteban (Alfonso Herrera), a peasant who falls in love with Clara's older sister Rosa (Chiara Parravicini). Resolving to make his own fortune and marry Rosa, Esteban heads off to become a miner. Tragedy strikes before that can happen.

The next episode follows Esteban as he invests the money he has made into a run-down family property, known as Las Tres Marias. Adapting ruthless methods, he builds the farm into a bustling enterprise; sadly, he is even more ruthless with the farm's workers, treating them all as property and repeatedly raping the women, starting with teenage Pancha (Noelia Coñuenao), who soon bears him a child; Esteban does not acknowledge the boy as his own.

The years pass, and Clara grows into agile actress Nicole Wallace. She feels she is fated to marry Esteban, and so when he returns home after his mother dies, she quickly accepts his proposal. The third episode then shifts to her as the protagonist. Through her eyes, we see how wonderful Esteban appears to be as a person, and also how beautiful his material gifts and the lavish home he provides her in the city appear to be, especially for Clara, who was raised in more than comfortable surroundings.

In time, though, Esteban returns the family to Las Tres Marias, and, gradually, her eyes are opened: how Esteban runs roughshod over his workers and treats people with no regard for their humanity. Learning the truth about Pancha, and how Esteban dealt with the women at the ranch, change her perspective entirely.

Although I began the series wondering why I was sampling what I mistook for yet another sprawling family tale, the superb performances and production values quickly swept me away. The disturbing premonitions and occasional touches of magic only add to the strength of the powerful narrative.

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