Netflix’s latest hit series La Palma has quickly climbed to the top of the streaming charts, leaving viewers captivated by its tense drama and high-stakes disaster scenario. However, as the show continues to garner attention, many are wondering just how much of the story is grounded in reality. Is La Palma truly based on real events, or is it purely fictional?
The real event behind La Palma
The series is inspired by the 2021 eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma, one of Spain’s Canary Islands. The eruption, which lasted for several months, caused extensive damage to the island and forced thousands of people to evacuate. It’s a dramatic real-life event that has left a lasting impact on the local population. However, while the eruption forms the backdrop of La Palma, much of the story itself is fictionalized.
The plot of La Palma
In the show, a Norwegian family arrives on La Palma for a Christmas vacation, only to find themselves in the middle of an escalating disaster. The series also follows Marie, a Norwegian scientist who is studying the volcano and is convinced that a catastrophic eruption could cause even more widespread destruction. As the family and scientists struggle to survive, the tension builds around the idea of a potential mega-tsunami—something inspired by real scientific concerns, but exaggerated for dramatic effect.
Facts and impact
The 2021 Cumbre Vieja eruption was a major event, lasting from September 19 to December 13, 2021. It was one of the most significant volcanic eruptions in recent history, with lava flows destroying nearly 3,000 buildings, including homes, farms, and businesses. The eruption also devastated the island’s banana plantations, which are a major economic resource for La Palma, and left many areas uninhabitable. Thankfully, while the eruption caused major property damage, there were no direct casualties.
Creative liberties in La Palma
Despite being rooted in a real event, La Palma takes creative liberties in telling its story. The show imagines a scenario where the eruption could trigger a massive tsunami—something that has been a topic of scientific speculation, but hasn’t happened in reality. Some studies have suggested that a large enough eruption at Cumbre Vieja could, in theory, cause a portion of the island to collapse into the ocean, potentially generating a mega-tsunami that could affect the Atlantic coasts of North America, Europe, and Africa. However, many scientists agree that the risk of such an event is extremely low. While the threat of a tsunami is a real scientific theory, it remains highly unlikely, and La Palma takes this concept to a dramatic extreme.
Dramatization
The series was created by Martin Sundland, Lars Gudmestad, and Harald Rosenløw Eeg, with a talented cast including Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, and Thea Sofie Loch Næss. The fictionalized narrative was crafted to add personal stakes to the real-life disaster, focusing on a group of characters who must survive not just the volcanic eruption but also the chaos and danger that follow. While the volcanic eruption forms the backbone of the plot, the human drama is where the show really shines, exploring themes of survival, fear, and resilience.
Filming La Palma on location
The visuals in La Palma are particularly striking, with scenes of the volcano’s eruption, lava flows, and the island’s stunning landscapes adding an element of realism to the otherwise fictional storyline. The show was filmed on location in La Palma itself, making use of the island’s dramatic volcanic scenery to bring the disaster to life. Some scenes were also filmed on nearby Tenerife, which is part of the Canary Islands archipelago.
Blending fact and fiction
While La Palma takes significant inspiration from the 2021 eruption, it is not a documentary-style recounting of the event. The series blends fact and fiction to create a thrilling narrative that focuses more on the human experience during a disaster than on the precise details of the eruption. The show is a fictional account of what might have happened in the worst-case scenario, using the real eruption as a jumping-off point for a suspenseful and emotional drama.
In conclusion, while La Palma is inspired by real events, particularly the 2021 volcanic eruption, much of the story is fictionalized for dramatic effect. The catastrophic events, the characters’ survival story, and the idea of a mega-tsunami are all part of a fictional narrative built around a real-life disaster. For those wondering how much of the series is grounded in reality, the eruption itself is real, but the rest of the story—while inspired by true events—takes creative liberties to create a more thrilling, larger-than-life scenario.
Fictionalizing disasters: should it be done?
Fictionalizing real-life disasters like the eruption of Cumbre Vieja raises an interesting debate about the ethics and impact of dramatizing such traumatic events. On one hand, fictionalizing these disasters can serve as a powerful storytelling tool, amplifying the emotional stakes and creating an intense narrative that captivates audiences. It can also raise awareness about real-world issues, like the potential dangers of volcanic eruptions and tsunamis, by drawing attention to them in a more engaging way.
On the other hand, some argue that turning real tragedies into entertainment could trivialize the suffering of those affected. It risks oversimplifying the complexities of such events and may even spread misinformation if not carefully handled. Ultimately, it’s a delicate balance—when done with respect and sensitivity, fictionalizing these events can shed light on real-world dangers, but it’s important to remember that the line between fact and fiction should be clearly defined, especially when dealing with events that have left lasting impacts on people’s lives.
What are your thoughts on fictionalizing real-life disasters in movies and TV shows? Should it be done? Let us know in the comments!