Ser o no ser is a series directed by Marta Pahissa and created and written by Coral Cruz. Big Bang Media (The Mediapro Studio) produces for the RTVE's online channel, Playz. The series consists of six chapters.

Ser o no ser tells us the story of Joel, a 16-year-old transgender boy who starts a new life at a drama institute. Nobody there knows that he has transitioned, except his two best friends, Laia and Ricky. There he will also fall in love for the first time. Thanks to the support of his friends and his mother, he will be able to accept himself and stop hiding his condition from his new classmates. The series has been shot in our city, where the protagonist lives and studies. The locations have been in charge of Tavo Pazos.

If you have not seen the series, beware! because there may be some spoilers in the article.

Chapter 1. The Mask

The series begins with a first shot of the beach that closes with a theater curtain. It is the beach of Mar Bella. Joel (Ander Puig) gets up in the morning at home and has lunch with his mother (Ana Alarcón). Later he meets his two best friends, Ricky (Lion Armas) and Laia (Berta Galo), to go to school together. They are sitting on the steps from San Isidre street to Puríssima Concepció street. It's the first day of class in this new high school dedicated to theater. The three of them walk inside their institute until they go to drama class.

They shot the scenes of the corridor in the Lluïsos de Gràcia and the interior of the theater is in the Lluïsos Theater (Nord square, 7). His theater teacher is called Carme (Emma Vilarasau).

After class, the three friends walk down the street to where Laia lives. It’s the number 9 of Puríssima Concepció street. When Joel and Ricky walk alone, they are on Salvà street, number 92, which is supposed to be the portal of the flat where Joel lives with his mother. The interior is actually at Lluís Piadós street.

In theater class, they do the first monologue introducing themselves. Joel likes a girl from his class, Ona (Júlia Gibert). After the lesson, Joel runs along the Bogatell boardwalk when Laia calls him on the phone. At night, Laia goes to see Joel at his house. We see a scene at night with a panoramic view of the city, where we can see three chimneys and then the port of Barcelona with the cable car in the background.

Chapter 2. The replica

Joel wakes up at night and checks his cell phone to see Ona's social media. There, he sees that she is reading a book that he has at home and starts reading it. They shot Ona's images in a park. She is at the Mossèn Cinto Verdaguer gardens. We see an aerial image of the port of Barcelona as daylight breaks with the cable car in the background, the port, and the sea. And later, we see the statue of Columbus with the Mapfre Tower far away.

Joel has fallen asleep and has to run out of the house because he doesn't want to be late for class. He leaves the portal of his home on Salvà street and goes down the stairs on San Isidre street. We see him running through different streets. When he goes down the stairs and pulls to the right, he passes by number 87 of a house. This house is on Salvà street. Later, we see him crossing Magalhães street on the corner with Salvà until he reaches Carrera street. There, we see him running. In the background, we can see the wall of the Baluarte gardens. Finally, he rushes past some graffiti on the wall of his high school, the IES Consell de Cent (Carrera street, 2).

Carme asks them to perform a love scene. Joel and Ona rehearse together and agree to go to his house. We see an aerial image of the city with the Sagrada Familia in the background and one of the three chimneys in the Tres Chimeneas park in the foreground.

Later, we see the door of the institute when they leave class. Ricky, Ona, Laia, and Joel walk together on Carrera Street. Laia has to babysit and, she leaves them. Later, we see Ricky, Ona, and Joel walking down Salvà street towards Joel's house.

Then, we see a scene at night, an aerial landscape of Barcelona with Tibidabo and the Collserola Tower. At home, Ona and Joel are rehearsing together.

Later, we see a panorama with the cable car, the port, and the Maremágnum of Barcelona in the background. At the end of the chapter, we see the door of the institute and the students in the class.

Chapter 3. Change of scenery

The episode begins with the students in acting class. After the lesson, we can see an image of the port cable car running with Barcelona in the background, the Mapfre tower, and the three chimneys of San Adrià. Ricky, Laia, and Joel walk out the door of the school. They cross Carrera street and stop. There, Joel proposes them to go to Montjuic at night. They haven't done it for a long time.

Joel runs along the Bogatell promenade. As he runs, Ona calls him to meet. Ricky and Laia have met Joel on the stairs where they always meet, on San Isidre street. When Ona comes, they go to Montjuic. They are in the Joan Brossa gardens (Tarongers, 2). They are sitting on wooden benches. Víctor (Eduard Torres) and his friend Àlex (Enzo Oliver) are also there. Laia likes Victor.

Later in this chapter, we can see a night shot of the Colón building and the Agbar Tower in the background. There is also an image of the three chimneys in the Tres Chimeneas park.

Chapter 4. Catharsis.

Joel's mother is giving him a back massage. She's a massage therapist. Suddenly, the phone rings. It's her mother and Joel's grandmother (Lluïsa Mallol). she is coming for a surprise visit.

The students go to drama class. And later, we see a view of the statue of Columbus and then an image of the Collserola mountain. Ona and Joel are kissing when Joel's mother comes home.

Ona and Laia are together in the high school bathroom. Later, they are walking through the corridors when they meet Víctor, the boy with whom Laia has made out. Later, Ricky, Laia, and Joel walk down San Isidre street towards Laia's house.

We see a new panorama of Montjuic with the three chimneys of the Tres Chimeneas park in the foreground. We can see the Colón building is also visible. Joel's grandmother is visiting. She doesn't know that he is a trans boy.

Later, Joel walks through a park where he has arranged to meet Ona to explain his secret to her. They meet at the Joan Brossa gardens.

Chapter 5. Rehearsals

Joel and Laia meet to talk on the stairs of San Isidre street. Ricky comes running because he has fallen asleep. In the class, they decide to put on Twelfth Night by Shakespeare. Later it's break time, and they go out to the school's courtyard. It’s the roof of the Lluïsos de Gràcia theatre. Ricky is teaching Víctor's friend, Àlex, to play guitar when Víctor arrives. Laia and Ona talk on the roof later, after class.

We see them in class rehearsing the play. Back at home, Joel helps Ona to characterize herself for her character. Then he confesses the truth to her.

Chapter 6. Stage Fright

Joel's mother returns home to find him devastated because Ona has left him. Later, we see images of the port with the cable car and the Maremágnum. We can see the door of the institute and the rehearsals of Shakespeare's play. After class, Joel walks out the school gate and talks to Ona on Carrera Street. They cross to the other sidewalk. Carme and Joel talk at some stairs of the theater, behind the curtain.

Ona and Laia talk again in the high school bathroom. Ona doesn't want to continue with Joel, not because he is trans, but because he hasn't been honest with her. Joel does his monologue coming out of the closet.

Laia and Víctor finally talk about where the institute's coffee machine is. They were avoiding each other. This situation created a bad atmosphere between them and the rest of the class. Later, we see an aerial shot with the Barcelona Cathedral in the background. It is the day of the premiere of the play.

We see Joel running along the beach. It is the beach of Mar Bella. He stops and looks around at the people there. He takes off his shirt and lies down to rest.