Parents' Guide to

Sintonia

By Marty Brown, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Soapy Brazilian teen crime drama has sex, violence.

TV Netflix Drama 2019
Sintonia Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

  • Sintonia Series: Rita (Bruna Mascarenhas), Nando (Christian Malheiros), and Doni (JottaPê)
  • Sintonia Series: Doni (JottaPê) at lunch with his family
  • Sintonia Series: Rita (Bruna Mascarenhas) goes to church

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What's the Story?

Friends since childhood, Rita, Doni, and Nando live in a neighborhood of São Paulo, Brazil where crime is rampant in SINTONIA. Nando is heavily involved in local drug trafficking. Rita sells drugs and has other street hustles to make money. Doni is a funk ostentação singer and writer trying to break into the music industry. The three friends help each other navigate the often dangerous worlds of drugs and music.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (1 ):

This series was created by popular Brazillian music video director and record label owner KondZilla, and it sadly has all the sheen of a music video without the thematic or character depth to make it really pop. The idea of a group of friends who aspire to be musical artists but make a living through drug trafficking is interesting, but the show's beats are mostly well-worn plot elements lifted from other, better, crime movies and television. The high energy level keeps Sintonia entertaining on a melodramatic level, but never allows the plot to dig deep enough into the characters to make them truly compelling.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the three main characters: Rita, Doni, and Nando. How are they similar to one another? How are they different? What is each of their relationships to music? To drug trafficking? To religion? How do you expect them to behave, based on what you know?

  • How does Brazil differ from America? How Sao Paolo depicted? Does it line up with your image of Brazil? How does Brazilian culture inform the characters' actions?

  • What do you learn about the Brazilian music scene and music industry from Sintonia? How does music motivate the characters' positive and negative actions?

TV Details

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