I don't often write here about what I watched on TV because the sheer cornucopia of streaming platforms makes all these movies kind of disposable products of the moment. Usually I watch TV only on weekends, anyway. But this past weekend there was something that instantly got my attention and I must admit that I could not stop watching it, in a current language, I binged on it.
"Baby Raindeer" is one of the best British (Scottish?) TV series I have ever seen and this is coming from a fairly legendary tradition, one never expects anything but the best from them. What makes it so special is not only the fact that its a true story but also how it manipulates audience into a total obsession and honestly it is so intense that its practically impossible to stop watching it. As already noted elsewhere, it is a story about struggling comedian (Richard Gadd playing himself) who works as a barman and his stalker, a psychotic woman who introduces herself as a successful lawyer but we know immediately she is a liar - her name is Martha (excellent Jessica Gunning) and since the moment she got a free cup of tea from him, she is starting to push herself into his life, eventually with disastrous consequences. There is also a whole assortment of supporting characters who are here basically like a Greek chorus just to frame the main mind games between the main character and Martha. Where usual stalking stories often focus on black & white characterisation (bad stalker, innocent victim) what happens here is something much more complicated: Richard Gadd ("Donny") is himself guilty of everything that happens to him, because he allows and even encourages it. In a perverted way, he enjoys Martha's attention and even though is clear he has absolutely no romantic interest in her, he also misses her deranged messages and attention - the whole twisted story between them eventually gets almost painful to watch.
I don't remember when was the last time I was so involved in TV series - it was original, unusual and it played with our sympathy. I was initially with Donny but with time his behaviour became so annoying that I started arguing with the screen - whatever happens to him, he created it himself. It might be different to see it in a hindsight but really, there were literary dozen of situations where the alarm bell was ringing in my head and Donny chose to ignore it, because it suited him. Media is now full of interviews with Gadd and commenting on his bravery to go trough all of this again with acting but I must say that I eventually sympathise much more with deranged Martha than with him.
Excellent, highly recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment