Review of the series “Disclaimer” - melodramatic thriller with Cate Blanchett about the secrets of the past
One of the main serial disappointments of the year.
Documentary filmmaker Catherine (Cate Blanchett) shoots extensively for television and regularly receives prestigious awards. The author has been married for many years to businessman Robert (Sacha Baron Cohen). Son Nicholas (Kodi Smit-McPhee) recently moved out from his parents and works as a salesman in an electronics store. The family's world comes crashing down when Katherine receives a book by an unknown author called “The Perfect Stranger.” In the protagonist of the documentary recognizes herself. The copy receives and husband Robert. From the book, the husband learns about Katherine's infidelity, which led to tragedy.
Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón has long and successfully worked in Hollywood, and feels confident both in studio projects (“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” and “Child of Man”) and in auteur cinema about his homeland (“And Your Mother Too” and “Roma”). The five-time Oscar winner is trying himself for the first time in a serial format. For his debut Cuaron chose the book by Reni Knight “Disclaimer”, published in 2015. The author for many years filmed documentary programs for the BBC, and then retrained as a writer. “Disclaimer” is Knight's debut, which can hardly be called a world bestseller. It's not bad fiction, but not much more than that. It is not very clear why Cuaron, who has not filmed anything for six years, took up a passing novel. The Mexican wrote the script and directed all seven episodes of the project, as well as called two outstanding cameramen - Bruno Delbonnel and Emmanuel Lubecki. It's a shame to see the efforts of talented people wasted.
The narrative in the series is split into two time layers. In the present, retired Stephen (Kevin Kline) publishes a book written by his wife Nancy (Lesley Manville) that exposes Katherine's sins. The wife has died of cancer, and the husband is determined to break up the cheating documentarian's family. In the past, Catherine, Robert and very young Nicholas are vacationing in Venice. The husband had to return to London for work, and the wife and the baby continued to laze on the sunny beaches. Catherine meets nineteen-year-old Jonathan (Louis Patridge) and spends a few passionate nights with a young man traveling in Europe. Jonathan drowns at sea, and his parents blame their son's death on a devious seductress. The whole truth about long ago events is revealed on the pages of the book “Perfect Stranger”.
Like many other modern detective series, “Disclaimer” is ungodly long. In fact, it's one of the biggest problems on streaming and cable TV today. The show could have made a decent two-hour movie, but Cuaron shows off and leisurely tells a rather banal story. At times, the overly serious director is even embarrassing. The camera sharply zooms in on the characters, then sways after Robert's all-night drinking session and conveys the shaken emotional state of the deceived husband, then finds unexpected angles. Montage splices regularly occur through the “pupil”: the frame gradually fades to black, and at the end only a small circle with the hero inside remains on the screen. Such a transition can regularly be seen in old American cartoons. Cuaron diverts his soul and uses a lot of unusual artistic techniques, but in a chaotic order, as if he wants to prove to the audience once again that he is fluent in his profession. Alas, the story does not become more fascinating because of the director's frills.
The development of events on the screen is accompanied by the voices of different narrators. For example, the story begins with Katherine describing her happy and boring life. Then we hear the voices of Stephen and Nancy. Cuaron plays with unreliable narrators and explicitly hints to the audience that each character has his or her own truth. The only question is who is delivering the story to the audience. Most of the time, the narrative of the book, which was invented by a grief-stricken mother, unfolds before us. Can Nancy be trusted? How does the mother know the details of Catherine and Jonathan's affair in great detail? What is not in question is the authenticity of the photos taken by her son. The photos show Catherine in a bra or naked, only her breasts covered by her hands. Treason was, but is a married woman to blame for the death of a young lover? That's the whole intrigue of the series.
“Disclaimer” is the little brother of ‘Big Little Lies’ and ”Strike Back.” With each new iteration, the rich man's mystery plots become more and more dull and predictable. Apparently, the producers thought a great author could turn a mediocre literary source material into a talented series. The miracle didn't happen: the excessive melodramatism and repetitive pretentious staples make you cringe by the middle of the season. Apparently, Cuaron did not have a friend near him, who would have told the author to keep himself in control and not to go to all the trouble in the multi-part format. The viewer can quietly watch the first and last series and skip the whole middle, losing almost nothing in terms of meaning. For the series is a verdict. You can watch "Disclaimer" Apple TV+
This article was sponsored by Uchenna Agwuncha
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