The allure of crimes and human darkness
Carles Porta has a taste for morbidity and the ability to arouse the curiosity of those who enjoy the immoralities of others that end in tragedy. His crimes and the stories he creates bring us closer to the darkest and most disturbed side of the human condition. Television becomes a means to satisfy curiosity and, at times, to flirt with moral limits. However, turning violent deaths into audiovisual content comes at a price: part of the public has become accustomed to consuming this type of content in the same way as they would a television series, without considering the real story behind each episode.
The exercise of conscience that requires
Since the success of the ‘Crims’ series, news about murders on social media has been filled with frivolous comments, even some directed directly at Carles Porta. The mountain of Tor has become a place of mystery and violence, attracting those seeking thrills. It would be easy to blame public television for all the evils and assume that the viewer must be given content that is easy to digest, without requiring any exercise of conscience. Yet what captivates about Tor, even those trapped in silence or shame, is precisely the exercise of conscience it demands: reminding ourselves that what we see is true. The documentary series about Tor confronts us with reality and forces us to reflect on respect for the victims and their families.
The debate on the exploitation of stories
Every time we click on a new episode of Tor, we wonder to what extent the pain of the victims’ relatives is respected by re-exploiting a story that Carles Porta has already worked on twice. The truth is stranger than fiction, we tell ourselves. Tor is even more attractive than a Western because the protagonists utter strong words every time they breathe. The truth satisfies us and fascinates us more than some fictions, and we have it at our fingertips. However, some lose track of reality and let themselves be carried away by morbidity. Tor has no other function than to hypnotize and captivate for one hour a week. The rhythm, the music and the words of the protagonists envelop us. It offers us a window into a dark world and allows us to explore the violent impulses of others, even if it is with a little guilt. But we must be aware that morbidity tempts us and that our weakness can turn us into mere spectators of tragedy.
The talent of Carles Porta
Carles Porta has a great talent for exposing the immoral and trapping us, making us forget our own morality. His fixation becomes ours and we look at it with the same lightness with which we sit on the couch at home. If in ten years he produced a documentary series based on the same story, those of us who have seen it would understand his benefits and misfortunes, convincing ourselves that the latter are not so serious. These balances between rational consciousness and natural inclination are what challenge and explain the underlying motives of Tor’s audience. Carles Porta knows where to aim and, for everyone’s sake, perhaps he should not aim anymore.