Series like Raising Voices on Netflix should be made more often! Through the powerful portrayal of each character, this series vividly shows us what it’s like to live in a world where people have forgotten what safety feels like. The very men who are supposed to make us feel secure—our husbands, boyfriends, or teachers—turn out to be the most despicable human beings imaginable. When these men fail to provide a safe space, what can we expect from others? Let’s familiarize ourselves with these characters to truly understand each character’s struggles and perspectives. They make us question the very fabric of our society and challenge us to demand better and stand against our abusers by raising our voices.
Spoilers Ahead
Alma
Nicole Wallace, as Alma, perfectly captures the familiar and rebellious spirit of a teenager! Alma dislikes studying, smokes joints, loves partying, spends time with friends, and always seems to be up to some kind of mischief. People hate her for this rebellious behavior, calling her all sorts of names, but she couldn’t care less. She absolutely despises the idea of conforming to please others. I must say, Nicole Wallace delivers a much more mature performance in this series compared to her previous movies like My Fault or Your Fault. Alma’s lack of interest in studying results in her failing exams so badly that she’s at risk of not graduating high school, which means no college prospects. But she isn’t bothered by that, because college isn’t even on her radar. Instead, she’s fixated on her best friend’s brother, David, and wants to be with him. However, this obsession doesn’t end well. She sneaks out of the house, as she is determined to meet him. She betrays her parents’ trust and goes to a party with her best friend, Greta. But when David turns her down, Alma feels devastated.
Already very drunk and feeling betrayed, she didn’t want to stay at the party. So she took help from her guy best friend, Hernan, who had always had a crush on her. He took advantage of her vulnerable state, and she couldn’t stop it from happening. She felt disgusted and humiliated, keeping it a secret and feeling as though it was justified that people were calling her names. Unknown numbers started sending her abusive messages and private photos, which took a toll on the 17-year-old girl. So Alma started focusing on her studies to get past it, but then learned about her friend Berta’s history of abuse at the hands of their teacher. Alma felt like a bad friend for not stopping it and for not saving her friend from that. So, Alma created an Instagram page called “Coleman Miller” to help others share their stories of abuse and expose their abusers. After Berta’s death, Alma risked herself by calling out their history teacher on Instagram, exposing the school’s abuser, and encouraging others to come forward and seek justice. Her courage and loyalty as a friend, and her willingness to stand up for others, are truly incredible.
Greta
Clara Galle’s portrayal of Greta’s character was my favorite. She was such a girl’s girl. Although her character wasn’t very important in the series, the way she always cared for her best friend, Alma, and protected her from all the hate she received was truly remarkable. It’s like the world could be against Alma, but she would never leave Alma’s side. We all need a friend like Clara. Even when Alma received abusive messages, was called names, and was abused by Hernan at the party, Clara went to rape victim support sessions and wrote messages about how important Alma is to her life so that she wouldn’t feel alone. Even when Alma exposed their history teacher, Greta was there to support her and help her cause.
Nata
Aicha Villaverde’s portrayal of Nata captured the essence of so many women who have been conditioned to accept abuse, cheating, and humiliation from their partners because society tells them it’s normal for men to behave that way. Nata believed that maintaining a good relationship sometimes meant forgiving her boyfriend, even to the point of sacrificing her own self-respect. Despite her friends Greta and Alma telling her to break up with him, she felt frustrated and ended her friendship with them because she thought it was better to have a bad partner than to be alone. She was always scared of the possibility that another boyfriend might be even worse because, as her mother always told her, men are just like this. Nata accepted it when her boyfriend took her to horrible places on dates and prioritized his friends over her all the time. Her act of rebellion came when she started breaking into people’s houses to break things and use their homes as her own because she was tired of always being the good girlfriend and good daughter. Even when her boyfriend tried to abuse her by letting his friend use her physically, she didn’t break up with him. She was more concerned with what people would say. So much so that when she finally broke up with him, she did it in a way that made it seem like she was superior to him and made sure that everyone saw that she was the one ending the relationship, not the other way around. But thankfully, Nata finally saw her boyfriend’s true colors and left him for good. She found the strength to support Alma’s cause, showing a remarkable transformation and courage.
Alberto
Gabriel Guevara’s character, Alberto, brilliantly showcased the frustration of men who are uncomfortable in their own skin and so try to find imperfections in others, especially women. He was Nata’s infamous boyfriend, who humiliated and manipulated her against her friends and wanted to make sure she belonged only to him. It felt like he wanted to have some sort of ownership and authority over Nata. Alberto always badmouthed Alma, yet at the end of the day, he secretly looked through her profile to satisfy himself. At the same time, he lied and cheated on Nata. He even went so far as to create a fake social media profile to send Alma abusive messages because he feared she would convince Nata to break up with him, and that might ruin his chance to move to Canada with her. His actions were all about selfishness and dominance, nothing else. Alberto’s character is a powerful reminder of how toxic masculinity is in relationships and shows us how some men will go to any lengths to maintain control and power.
Berta
Teresa De Mera, with her charm, striking blue eyes, and blue-dyed hair, could steal anyone’s heart! But deep inside, she hid so many things from the world. Berta struggled with borderline personality disorder, which she developed after her parents’ separation, and it was hard for her to distinguish between reality and her imagination. She poured all her emotions into her art. Berta was one of Alma’s closest friends in school but eventually had to leave. Why? Because her history teacher abused her every day, manipulating her to the point where she started having panic attacks and fell into depression. With Alma’s help, Berta started to recover, and together they opened a social media page to share their stories of abuse. But when Alma, for a moment, stopped believing her, Berta felt lost and betrayed. Feeling like there was no purpose in living anymore, Berta ended up killing herself. Her character was a strong reminder of how damaging abuse can be and how much we need to be kind and understanding to the survivors of abuse.
Juan Lopez Sanchez
Juan Lopez Sanchez was the history teacher who abused not only Berta but many other girls in school. Played by Iván Massagué, his character was so believable in the beginning that he looked like someone you could genuinely trust. Until Berta shared her story, one could not even imagine that he was this vile, disgusting man. After all, he was a very devoted teacher, always there to help his students, so how could you suspect him? But thank God for Alma, Berta, and others’ collective efforts. He went into police custody after people started to come forward with how they had also been abused by him. Finally, justice was served.
