Compelling Latin Sci-Fi Podcast Hit “Caso 63” Adapted in English
I remember to this day, decades later, having a series of dreams in which I was enjoying a contented marriage with a man created completely from scratch from the workbench of my subconscious. He had freckles and possessed more boyish charm than great looks - kind of the Seth Rogan type. The dreams were set maybe 10 years earlier judging by the decorations in our apartment (no house yet).
What made the dreams striking, and why I still remember them, were that they seemed in real time, with entire conversations and episodes of our daily life. They had none of that scene-shifting feeling, like stones skipping a pond, that most dreams have. I woke up in a state of gentle marital bliss.
I couldn’t help recalling those dreams as I listened to the Latin runaway hit podcast series Caso 63. The Spotify series has been adapted in India and Brazil and recently released in English as Case 63, making it possibly the most listened-to podcast in the world. The sci-fi thriller involves dreams, a time vortex and love as the ultimate time traveler. In the series, dreams are where the time vortex overlaps, producing echoes of past and future lives.
A psychiatrist, narrated by Julianne Moore (Still Alice, Benny and Joon) in the English version, takes a patient, narrated by Oscar Isaac (Dune, Homecoming) who claims to be a time traveler. Like the best sci-fi, Case 63 integrates present events such as the pandemic to make the impossible seem possible, or as the series enticingly puts it, “to believe is just a matter of time”.
Caso 63/Case 63 owes its suspense to sounds reminiscent of techniques radio programs used generations ago to set the story’s tone, like the sound of pouring a drink, the background noise of an airport, rain, or a tired person sinking into a leather chair. The Spanish series even has a signature sound - the delicious hiss of striking a match to light a cigarette (The main characters switch who smokes, depending on their timeline.) Reviews indicate that the English version maintains this sound design. Your imagination can clip to these auditory cues all along the storyline.
The original podcast was a collaboration between Chilean actors who had never done a podcast, and they produced it during the pandemic with each recording from their homes. Elements in the podcast’s story, a series of pandemics, were happening in real life when the podcast was produced. Like much of the art produced of the pandemic, the work was an experiment, one that returned them and their audience back to the human condition of telling and listening to stories, not seeing them on a screen.
There’s nothing in Caso 63, written by Julio Royas, that hasn’t been covered in sci-fi before, but the themes present themselves in the context of a very vulnerable period of our existence as human beings. They strike us differently because we are different ourselves for having lived through it. If you’re a fan of audio stories, you have to hear this series. If you’re not (like me), this might make you one.
Using the podcasts for language learning
I listened to Caso 63 in Spanish as part of my language practice. Experts say repetition is key in language learning. The challenge to doing it is overcoming boredom from repeating the same material. Caso 63’s plot twists and character development overcame that by keeping me on the edge of my seat. It wasn’t tedious to repeat it and I wanted the series to last as long as possible.
Quality of speech in the narration is critical in podcasts, and even more so if you’re using it for language study. The characters in the Latin version of Caso 63 are Chilean and Mexican with accents that are appealing and easy to emulate.
In comparing narration quality in the two versions, I found that I prefer Julianne Moore’s narration as the psychiatrist in the English version but much prefer the voice of Néstor Cantillana as Pedro Roiter, the patient, in the Spanish version. (Listen to these two trailers, this one in English and this one in Spanish and see how you compare the two.)
Case 63/Caso 63 is perfect for a mid-intermediate language student - it’s pure dialogue. A more beginner student could use the English and Spanish transcripts as dual-texts. Given the time travel storyline, the student listener gets plenty of practice in past, present, and future verb tenses. (The characters themselves are at times a little confused about which tense they’re in, so you don’t feel so bad.)
Caso 63 is so intriguing that I haven’t minded repeating the Spotify episodes over and over going on weeks now. I haven’t listened to the final few episodes to maintain the suspense and wring as much practice out of the mysterious sci-fi drama as possible. I still don’t know how this radionovela chingona ends.
About the author:
Kerry Baker is the author of several books. The second book is “If Only I Had a Place,” giving you the benefits, pitfalls and opportunities of renting long-term in Mexico. The Mexico Solution: How to save your money, sanity and quality of life through part-time life in Mexico, is the cumulation of all I know, love and want to teach you about part-time expat life.
Her most recent book, “The Lazy Expat: Healthy Recipes That Translate in Mexico” is a cookbook for travelers, snowbirds and expats. (Spoiler: to maintain a healthy diet in Mexico, you must cook.)