Did anyone else pull out their favorite Rock playlists for like two days straight after watching this? Because… jajajaja… guilty.
Netflix’s Rompen Todo: La historia del rock en América Latina is a documentary series that aims to explore the last 50 years of rock history throughout Latin America as told by the people who shaped and dominated it. Clocking in at 300 minutes of content, Rompen Todo is a valiant effort to tell the story of rock in Latin America — but falls slightly short of capturing all of the rock glory and grit that makes el rock latinoamericano so epic.
The pacing in the last half differed vastly from the first, flying through history – decades of influential musicians and moments on screen. The series would have benefited with an extra episode or two — a true chance to breathe and reflect on the impact they have had on the present-day scene. (In other words: Where is season 2, Netflix?)
But that’s not to say that the show is absent of incredible highs. It’s an absolute treasure to see figures like Rubén Albarrán talk about Café Tacvba’s disastrous first set at the inaugural Lollapalooza or Javier Bátiz reflect on how personal the tragedy of the 1985 Mexico City earthquake was intertwined with rock. Above all, hearing these pioneers speak made one thing clear — rock and revolution flows through their veins and lives in the hearts of generations of audiences.
While the series made it clear that Mexico and Argentina were the main epicenters of influence, countries like Brazil were notably absent. An episode focusing on the lesser-known influence from other countries in this series would help fill in the gaps between bands and time periods.
Overall, Rompen Todo is a great entry point for anyone looking to learn about rock in Latin America. There are guaranteed air guitar moments for when the music hits just right, and sing-alongs are a given. Here’s to hoping there will be a part 2 to get down to all the nitty gritty!
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