Espelho da Vida is a Brazilian telenovela produced and broadcast by TV Globo that premiered on 25 September 2018, replacing Orgulho e Paixão, and ended on 1 April 2019. It is created by Elizabeth Jhin, and directed by Pedro Vasconcelos.
The show features a large ensemble cast headed by; Vitória Strada, João Vicente de Castro, Alinne Moraes, Rafael Cardoso, Irene Ravache, Júlia Lemmertz, Ângelo Antônio, Vera Fischer and Kéfera Buchmann.
Set in both the present time and the 1930s, Espelho da Vida tells the story of Cris Valencia, a budding actress who accompanies her boyfriend to Rosa Branca to make a film based on Julia Castelo, a woman who was mysteriously murdered in the 30s. Cris will also discover she is actually a reincarnation of Julia Castelo. Cris will try to unravel the enigma that befell her in her past life.
Plot
In the town of Rosa Branca, Vicente makes a last request before dying to his wife, Margot: to call back his grandson, the successful filmmaker Alain, so that he realizes a biographical film to tell to the world the story of Julia Castelo, a victim of a crime in the city in the 1930s that left many situations poorly explained. Although he swore he would never return to his hometown after being betrayed ten years earlier by his ex-girlfriend, Isabel, with his cousin Felipe, is willing to fulfill his grandfather's last wish. His girlfriend, the actress Cris Valencia, accompanies him, consequently casting her as the protagonist of the production. During her research in preparation of her role, she encounters a mirror in Julia Castelo's house that allows her to time travel to 1930s, when the crime happened. She also discovers that she is the reincarnation of Julia Castelo.
With the help of Margot, Cris has the chance to unravel all the mysteries of the events and find out if Danilo, Julia's boyfriend at the time, was really the murderer or was wrongly accused, since the lack of documentation and evidence left everything to be just a matter of speculation. The biggest drawback in the life of Alain and Cris is Isabel, willing to do everything to regain her ex-lover. In addition, Cris also has to deal with an overly ambitious artistic rival, Mariane, an enterprising actress who wants the protagonist role of the film at all costs, even if it means harming her.