HBO miniseries challenge – 1st review
If I would have to describe my main male attraction attributes it would be: big hands, big nose (sic!) and veined arms. It’s nothing sophisticated, but when it all meets together my knees are more likely to shake and my mouth to drool.
With that quite personal statement I wanted to describe components to create not entirely perfect, but for my subjective opinion very lovable and entertaining cinematic work.
- setting – Southern State of America
- family drama and mystery
- „serial killing” investigation with a sexy detective
- Amy Adams
- Patricia Clarkson
All of the above are few bullet points you can describe HBO miniseries Sharp Objects, an adaptation of a debut novel by Flynn Gillian (an author of notorious a) that tells a story about Camille Preaker (Amy Adams), journalist from St Louis who is forced to come back to her hometown, Wind Gap; infamous for pig farms and upcountry vibe, to write series of articles about recent murder case of two teenagers.
As she come back to her family house, where she is not really expected or welcomed, we meet her elegant, emotional towards herself and distant towards other; mother Adora, classy but muzzy music lover stepfather Alan and her younger stepsister Amma, who intrigued with her never-seen-before rebel and notorious sister, hasn’t revealed her persona at the first sight, to be able to observe and judge new intruder peacefully with her rollerblading teenage minions.
Her presence is immediately noticed also by a whole Wind Gap society, as her family is the most notable owner or pig slaughters, own a beautiful almost antique house and small-town dukedom. Recent events make people suspicious especially towards two family members of missing girls, which continues with growing nervousness in small town charm.
Thanks God murder investigation is put on the background. Main motive is more what could make it happen in such a small and close society of pig-slaughters. Obviously on South, the heat and steam are part of the story too. Cooling down and heating up are one of main activities, beside heavy drinking and killer searching.
Camille is good with words, not only on paper but also on her body. Part of her coping with personal demons is self-scarification and alcoholism. She tries very hard to cover both, what makes it probably harder to be in the eye of the storm – both Wind Gap folks and mother’s never-ending judgement.
It includes subtly hidden but largely witch-alike comment of female empowerment. Most female characters (even murdered teenage girls) are strong, independent, even „wild” forces of nature, that while being withhold with sexual and systematic patriarchy model, they grow in-within by anger, paternal distance, auto-aggression and pity.
Worth to mention, although it deserves whole new article about quality of acting, that such great cocktail of female actresses from 3 different generations haven’t been seen on screen for around a decade. No mater if enjoy the story or not, Oscars should go to Patricia Clarkson, Amy Adams and most notably – debut-on-screen 19 years old, marvelous Eliza Scanlen (who soon we can see again on a big screen in recent new adaptation of Little Women by Greta Gerwig)
Preaker family delivers many unforgettable tensions and triggers for the audience, but aren’t black and white when you look and hear closely. This is what I appreciate the most in this show, unusual and vigilant narration. Not much is said straightforward, same as in real life of traumas and unsolved issues from characters’ past.
Battle DUST 