3% is a Brazilian series on Netflix about a civilization where 97% of the people live in squalor and 3% live in a land of plenty. At the age of 20, people can apply to enter the Process, a series of tests to select those who are worthy enough to leave the Inland and join the Offshore community. Some tests are social, some physical, some mental, but all are grueling — some can even result in death — and at any time a person can be eliminated and sent home.
In addition to the tension provided by the Process, more suspense is provided by a group known as the Cause, who oppose the Process and are trying to infiltrate it. Another wrinkle occurs behind the scenes. Ezequiel, the man in charge of the Process has a secret, and he is facing opposition from those who want him replaced.
This is an interesting concept, but not as well developed as I would like. The acting is flat, though that could be due to the fact that the dialogue is dubbed into English from Portuguese. In addition, as a Brazilian production, the series is probably low budget and lacking many of the resources available to an American production. That being said, they do a good job of evoking a mood of desperation among the contestants and a sense of something not quite right among those in charge. Clearly, the Offshore is not as utopic as they want everyone to believe.
I will probably watch more episodes of this show when they are released, but I will not recommend it as highly as other Netflix sci fi shows I have seen. Good, but not great. Watch it if you need a sci fi fix, but know that it’s lacking in some areas.