After the misdirection, here’s what happened to Alma on Netflix Raising voices series.
Raising voices is a Spanish drama miniseries based on the novel of the same name by Miguel Sáez Carrali, starring Nicole Wallace, Clara Galle and Aïcha Villaverde.
The Netflix series premiered on May 31 and centers on 17-year-old Alma (Wallace) and her friends Greta (Galle) and Nata (Villaverde), whose lives are disrupted when Alma hangs a banner in their high school that reads: “Watch out, there’s a rapist hiding there” in spanish.
Amidst the confusion for those who haven’t watched the entire series, this further clarifies some of the heavy hitting events Raising voices.
Who is the rapist in speaking out?
Warning – This article contains spoilers and deals with incidents of sexual violence Raising voices.
Raising voices opens with a striking scene of Alma standing in front of a sign that reads “Watch out, there’s a rapist hiding there” (translated as “Be careful, there’s a rapist hiding”).
Although some may believe that this “rapist” is connected to the attack on Alma, it is not.
After the first scene of Episode 1, the rest of the eight-part series tells the long stories of these high school students’ lives, leading to the eventual capture of the beast.
During episode 6, Alma’s friend Berta tells her about their school’s history teacher, Juan Lopez Sanchez (Iván Massagué), and how Alma sexually abused him when she was younger.
At the end of episode 8, after Alma turns Sanchez in to the student body, staff, and finally the police, she leaves the school in handcuffs.
It’s a great sight to see so many students (including many impressed girls) walk from class to stand behind Alma and the others under the central sign of the series.
For viewers who haven’t finished the show, it may be surprising to see who also stands united directly behind her former abuser Alma.
So who attacked Alma by raising his voice?
In Episode 4, Alma reveals to Greta what happened on her way home the night of the party shown earlier.
He left that night with his friend Hernan, confused to see Greta or her brother. Alma takes Molly and doesn’t want anyone to see her like that, especially her parents.
Narrating the incident, Alma tells Greta that she thought “If (he) beat Hernan (he) would feel better:”
“And well, I must have thought, well, if I hit Hernan, I’d feel better. But it wasn’t a good idea.”
The flashback scene depicts Hernan and Alma having intercourse, the former being significantly more aware and active than the latter.
When leaving the next morning, Alma tells Hernan: “This didn’t happen, okay? Got it? Don’t you dare tell anyone.”
When the group of friends and her later confront Hernan (after he confesses to Greta what happened), Alma tells him: “A true friend would have taken me straight home.”
Later in episode 5, Hernan catches up with Alma in the school hallways and they discuss what happened that prom night. Although this conversation ends with him telling her that he was completely wrong, there was no resolution or clear apology.
Hernan admits only on the bus ride in episode 7, “I shouldn’t have slept with you that night. You weren’t feeling well.”
After telling him she wishes he could take it back and apologizing, Alma tells him: “It’s okay, Hernan.”
As previously mentioned, Hernan can be seen directly behind Alma during the school walkout event that leads to Mr. Sanchez’s arrest and the eventual conclusion of the story.
All eight episodes Raising voices stream on Netflix.
