Based on real cases by Innocence Project Brazil, this drama brings together a former prosecutor-turned-professor trying to submit a revision of a contentious murder case which wrongly imprisoned a man for 47 years. But should you examine this new Netflix take on All Things Legal 101?
At the heart of this new show lies a brilliant lawyer who radically changed her trajectory after a tragedy intervened right in the courtroom, as she was arguing to imprison a woman in front of a jury. A few years later, Inez (Marjorie Estiano, seen in the Oscar-nominated movie I’m Still Here) is a law professor who hasn’t lost her passion, and she assembles a group of her law students to study a real murder case whose trial is about to begin. One of the suspects is defended by her former firm, whose members still doubt she’ll take an interest in the case. As it turns out, Inez has grand plans to build a case in order to prove the innocence of one of the three convicted men in the case, Jonathan (Hipólyto). In good legal terms, it is called filing a habeas corpus to contest the legality of one’s imprisonment. One of her students, Marina (Any Gabrielly), is eager to prove herself and successfully free Jonathan… as she has a secret agenda of her own, linked to Inez’s past.
As it stands, the developments in Habeas Corpus are pretty straightforward; there is no major timeline back-and-forth, and the major twist involving the arrival of Marina into the class is revealed by the end of the first episode. The show, then, goes all-in on its main case, involving Inez’s former major law firm trying to bail out the daughter of the victim, Renata Vasquez. Said law firm keeps tabs on Inez’s intentions on the case, which will eventually become more serious, and tasks lead lawyer Murilo with establishing communication with her; Murilo is also her former partner. From there, Habeas Corpus establishes some intimate framework to have its main characters confide in their true motives and doubts to establish Jonathan’s innocence: Inez with Murilo, and Marina with her own family. The group of students may not be very well characterized but illustrates a diversity of points of view on the case, including one who is convinced of her guilt, and will eventually become a wild card.
Marjorie Estiano and Any Gabrielly. Cr: Netflix.
As Inez establishes through one scene, once the group sets on getting hard evidence to file a “habeas corpus,” it’s about breaking legality in small ways to establish a bigger abuse in law; therefore, Marina and her fellow students will use deception, tailing persons of interest and getting their hands dirty. Unfortunately, the show sails past one or two ho-hum twists to do so, but mostly establishes a game where perception and gaining trust to access information are essential; in particular, Marina’s confidence and ability to spin a narrative are efficient, but soon put her in hot water with both Inez and her family.
Through all four episodes of the show we reviewed (out of eight), the creators take their time shedding light on botched procedures and confessions, and eventually a larger case for police brutality and framing of an innocent man who, by his own admission, “is no saint” himself. It never gets overboard into ridiculous twist-driven How to Get Away with Murder territory, yet some of this procedural-like show sometimes falls flat. Nevertheless, the raw charisma and magnetism of its two lead actresses are well worth the price of admission.
Watch Habeas CorpusIf You Like
The Law According to Lidia Poët
Verdict
A slick Brazilian show that questions its main character’s ideals and principles, Habeas Corpus gets slightly bogged down by some underwritten secondary characters, and a few too many slightly nonsensical twists and information leaks to make the case advance. Still, the case sheds light on classism and police brutality, and should keep viewers hooked for all of its eight episodes (this review is based on 4 episodes).
