Dorien 2017 Drama Review

The Intersection of Psychology and Desire: The Tense Relationship of Youth and Beauty Between Dorien and Miriam

🎥 Movie Overview

🎬 Title: Dorien (2017)
🌍 Country: 🇪🇸 Spain
🎞️ Genre: Psychological Thriller / Horror / Drama
🗓️ Production & Airing: RTVE (Playz), 2017, 8 Episodes
📺 Platform: RTVE Playz (online streaming platform)

👩‍💼 Cast: Carolina Bang – Dorien
Dafne Fernández – Miriam
Daniel Muriel – Marcos

🧩 In-Depth Story Exploration (Spoilers)

🖼️ Narcissism and Fear in the Age of Modern Media

Dorien is a psychological thriller and horror drama that adapts Oscar Wilde's classic novel The Picture of Dorian Gray into the context of contemporary social media and influencer culture. The series reinterprets the original themes of hedonism, obsession with beauty, and the corruption of the soul as new forms of terror in the digital era.

🔄 Modern Reinterpretation: Gender Swap and Profession of Dorian Gray

By reimagining the protagonist Dorian Gray as a female character, Dorien successfully shifts the critical focus of the original work to contemporary societal issues.

• Feminized Narcissism: While the original addressed narcissism and corruption of a male Victorian aristocrat, this series critically examines the modern societal pressures on women for eternal youth and beauty. Dorien is a famous photographer employing influencers and is extremely afraid of aging.

• The Camera's Curse: Instead of a portrait, a camera becomes the cursed medium for Dorien. Her camera drains the essence and youth from its subjects, allowing Dorien to maintain her appearance indefinitely. This metaphorically represents exploitative relationships in the social media era, where 'likes' and 'followers' function as a form of energy absorption.

📸 Appearance Obsession and Sacrifice in the Digital Era

The series is set in Malasaña, Madrid, a modern Spanish neighborhood rife with vanity and digital image obsession, presenting horror that is far more immediate and chilling than the original.

• Critique of 'Selfie' and Streaming Culture: Dorien’s victims are mostly influencers obsessed with posting their images online. Dorien exploits their vanity to drain their youth, metaphorically criticizing the act of sharing narcissistic images as soul-draining.

• Hidden Queer Narrative: Dorien has a long-secret girlfriend, Miriam. The fact that Dorien hides even this from Miriam shows how obsession with a perfect public image can destroy private life and genuine relationships. Dorien’s narcissism sacrifices her love and morality.

• Contrast with Journalism: The disgruntled journalist Marcos, trying to uncover all these secrets, contrasts with Dorien’s deceptive world. Marcos seeks the truth but struggles with his own relationship with his girlfriend Marta, illustrating the tension between superficial modern values and real-world pain symbolized by Dorien.

🎥 Innovative Approach of the Web Series

Dorien takes advantage of the web series format to innovatively incorporate modern media elements.

• Use of Technology: Inspired by theatrical reinterpretations (e.g., 2019 London production projecting Instagram Live videos), this web series likely integrates digital media into the narrative, combining horror and thriller elements with modern visuals and social media formats to increase engagement among young viewers.

• Success as a Psychological Thriller: The series emphasizes psychological pressure and tension over pure visual scares, effectively portraying how fear of aging and obsession with others’ eyes can drive destructive human behavior.

Dorien is a successful modern revival of a classic, exploring narcissism, obsession with beauty, and its costs in the digital era through the uniquely Spanish psychological thriller lens.

🎯 Personal Rating

💕 Level of Love Scenes: ♥♥
⭐ Rating: ★★★☆