You probably don’t even know how much you need Brujos in your life yet, but if an independently produced web series about gay brujos that mixes genre elements with hilarious comedy spikes your interest, then it’s tailor made for you.
Created by writer-director Ricardo Gamboa, this queer Latinx project already has a solid fan base thanks to its first four episodes released earlier this year. Gamboa and his team were able to bring their uncompromising idea to life following a successful crowdfunding campaign. In case you thought differently, making people fly through the air and depicting believable rituals costs money.
Those resources have been put to good use, as the new trailer for the upcoming episodes shows. Scored with Afro-Caribbean music that puts you in the mood for supernatural mishaps, the clip overflows with gorgeous and alluring shots that make Brujos a truly cinematic series. The sleek cinematography highlights the stylized world the characters live in: trendy outfits, vibrant nightlife, and all sorts of gory and VFX-driven madness. The focus on bright colors and its keen eye for framing elevates the production’s artistic value aside from the impressive effects.
Besides showing us there is power in numbers, the trailer hints that Jonathan, who can channel the pain others around him feel into powerful screams, meets a new brujo at a comic book store. Meanwhile, Panfilo, who can use telekinesis, unites the large group of allies and sets out to fight their vicious enemies because white men be crazy. All sorts of new challenges and conflicts will arise, and by the end of the trailer you’ll be yelling, “You in danger girl!”
The Brujos team premiered this new batch of episodes on November 9 at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago. The event proved that audiences are slowly embracing the show’s uniqueness, which goes beyond what traditional platforms are willing to support. The powerful Latino roommates fight heteronormativity, white supremacy, and toxic masculinity while trying to make it through grad school.
Now that it’s become more evident than ever that these evils plague the entertainment industry, Brujos is even more crucial as a piece of counterprogramming. A truly independent voice, Gamboa said he wrote the series before the rise of Trump and the Pulse tragedy, so the timeliness is uncanny. The characters are highly educated, unflinchingly gay, and proudly Latino, so how do we get the president and his gang to watch it?
From those who missed the Chicago premiere, you’ll still be able to enjoy new episodes of Brujos on November 20 at brujostv.com.