The first part of HBO's great summer hope with some major credibility all over the production. It's adapted from Gillian Flynn's debut novel from 2006. The pilot is directed by Jean-Marc Vallee (Big Little Lies). The showrunner is Marti Noxon who was responsible for writing and directing some of the best episodes of Buffy the Vampire (1997-2003). An all-star cast including Patricia Clarkson, Chris Messina and Elizabeth Perkins are led by Amy Adams. The expectation is that this will be a one-off limited series, which is said to stick very closely to the novel. Flynn herself has a big creative presence on the production. This review will contain small spoilers from the opening episode.
Setup: Adams plays Camille an alcoholic big city reporter persuaded by her boss to return to her hometown to cover a case involving missing children. Whilst, trying to do her job Camille is confronted by some personal demons from her past.
Its fair to say much of this first part is setup, but with that in mind I was big fan. I was hooked into the poetic visual style and atmosphere of Camille's world from the start. Throughout there was a effective jagged, rough around the edges, organic power. The beautiful expressive colours of the cars and signs around the small town, and the hazy tones perfectly captured the energy of such a setting. At the same time this style plays into the surreal, dreamlike quality, with Vallee effectively drifting in and out of flashbacks, dreams and events happening in the present. Much of this tone I think is because we are in Camille's viewpoint. There is that sense of the lead character being out of step with her surroundings, and the weight of her past suffocating her. This is maybe why the scenes involving Camille's Mother played with a spiky edge by Clarkson are so heightened, and a little different to Camille's encounters in the town. The flashbacks are probably some of the most powerful scenes. A flashback late in the episode revisits her sister's funeral and again suggest at a dark family history. The purpose of such sequences are to give us little fragments of Camille's past, like they are dark memories hidden away, but now returning to the surface. The character's heavy drinking also connects to the sense of unreliable memories depicted. This was a very effective device which could lead to some rich drama as the show progresses and the character unravels. Those who saw Big Little Lies will be familiar with the intense and raw sound design. As with that series again with this sound and music are a big part of building up tension, and getting inside the character's head. The ramshackle nature of the scenes in Camille's car when she plays music, or suddenly wakes up having spent a night drinking are daftly transistioned through music and sound.
Adams of course is fully committed to the role. Its again telling that one of the big screen's most consistent actresses has turned to television having struggled to gain recognition for her movie roles, or perhaps at the risk of the juicy film parts drying up. Like any great actress she excels in disappearing into the role and reinventing herself. Camille is distinctly more awkward, and downtrodden than many past Adams characters. She physically transforms herself into a much quieter and less glamorous figure, a trick difficult for many big name, beautiful actresses to pull off. Camille's role as a journalist caught between a moral responsibility both to reporting the truth, but also being sensitive to the people she interviews (who she relates to in some ways), adds even more potential layers to the character. It should be an interesting aspect to the drama seeing just what kind of journalist Camille is as the details of the case are revealed. Will she become colder and more ruthless, partly as a result of her own personal trauma? Or will the character still retain a humanity and journalistic integrity? Much detail was held back for this first part, but I am intrigued to see more from Chris Messina's local detective and how he connects with Camille and other people in the town. Sophia Lillis of IT fame playing the young Camille is a promising young actress who I think we can expect much more from. Clarkson for years has been one of the most consistent characters actors, and is someone I would watch reading the phone book. The thought of having her and Adams play off each other had me in from the word go. If the rest of Sharp Objects lives up to the promise of the opening part, I expect this to be one of the best shows of 2018.
So you can expect a review of the second episode from me sometime late Monday or early Tuesday next week. In the meantime if you have seen the first part and would like to comment below please do so.
1.What do you think of the set up and characters?
2.What did you like or dislike about it?
3. Ant ideas about the direction the drama might take from here?
Also please comment on my review and if you have any ideas of how I can improved. Thanks in advance.
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