by Tim Gordon
When a manuscript shows up at the door of a famed television documentary journalist, the exposure of many secrets threatens everything that she has in the television series, Disclaimer.
Long after a summer of indecency, Catherine Ravenscroft ironically has made a career of exposing the secrets of others. The irony catches up with her when she receives a novel named The Perfect Stranger. The details of the book, despite the disclaimer against it, seem to resemble an indecent moment from her past. When a set of explicit and revealing photos appears, the affair detailed in the book seems to be confirmed to everyone. To save everything that she has, Catherine feels that she must find the mysterious author of the book and retain her anonymity before it is too late.
The series Disclaimer is created by Alfonso Cuarón based upon the novel of the same name written by Renee Knight. The series stars Cate Blanchett as Catherine Ravenscroft, Kevin Kline, Sacha Baron Cohen, Lesley Manville, Louis Partridge, Leila George, and Kodi Smit-McPhee. The series is narrated by Indira Varma. Four-time Oscar winner Cuarón is also the director of the show.
Almost everyone who has read a novel or even watched a television show has at some time been exposed to the disclaimer. They usually say something to the extent of “this is a work of fiction, any similarities to any real persons or events are purely coincidental.” The tagline for the show is a play on that warning stating that “any resemblance to persons living or dead is NOT a coincidence.” Once the show begins though the series is tagged with a different and much more serious disclaimer of its own. It warns “this series contains strong sexual content and depictions of sexual, physical, and emotional violence.” They are not kidding. The first four episodes of this television series have a level of eroticism and sexuality that is usually reserved for hard R-rated films. Apple+ seemed to test the extent of the TV-MA rating that it received for this show.
Once you start watching this show, you must complete it. There will be times when you will want to stop watching either from disgust or anger or any number of emotions. Episode four contains an unbelievably heinous and vile act which becomes the impetus for all future actions in the show but in order to get the full effect of this intricately woven tale, you must watch all seven episodes.
The plot of the show is told through three alternating timelines, a storytelling device that we recently seen used in the romantic drama, We Live In Time. Where Time used the device as a gimmick to make the story interesting, Disclaimer more effectively uses it to create intrigue and suspense. The first timeline is the present time. The second timeline exists around the time after the death of Jonathan Brigstocke, the son of the author of the book, The Perfect Stranger. The third timeline focuses on an Italian vacation where the Ravenscroft and Brigstocke families intersect. Interestingly, like the ending of a peep show, Cuarón uses a fisheye edit each time he brings to close the relation of the third timeline. The use of the edit takes on a whole new and meaningful purpose toward the end of the series.
The show is wonderfully acted. Blanchett, Kline and the at times, unrecognizable Cohen dive deeply and convincingly into their roles. Oscar winner Blanchett and Kline are predictably excellent but relative newcomers Partridge and Leila George are unexpectedly incredible. The one complaint is that while Indira Varma is a wonderful actress, the narrator seemed irrelevant and unnecessary to the story and the narration audio seemed to be a decibel too soft in comparison to the rest of the series.
Rated TV-MA for strong sexual content and nudity, frightening and intense scenes, violence, language, smoking, and drug use, Disclaimer is a story about familial love, violence, and revenge. It reminds us of the adage that there are three sides to every story: his side, her side, and the truth. It is difficult and intriguing to watch at the same time. The reveal at the end is not only worth the investment but will call into question everything that you believe and hold dear.
Disclaimer can be seen on Apple+ starting October 11, 2024.
Grade: B+