The wonder of brilliance of a female acting ensemble David E Kelley, in adapting Liane Moriarty's novel). Has written another stunning series - a seven episode series for television that among other attributes pulls together four of our most brilliant contemporary actresses in a story that is one of the better explorations and defenses of feminism. Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley and Laura Dern remind us of how powerful artists can create both a polished performance and a raw statement about the feminine side of living, especially under the very keen direction of Jean-Marc Vallée.
While Madeline (Resse Witherspoon) and Celeste (Nicole Kidman) take in Monterrey single mom Jane (Shailene Woodley) none of them realizes how the arrival of Jane and her inscrutable little boy Ziggy (Iain Armitage) will affect them all. The story is complex, told in flashbacks, but concentrates on the role of parents and the role of women frustrated by their pasts and their confinement to being stay at home moms. Previous affairs, the initial accusation that Ziggy abused the fellow first grade daughter of the wealth Renata Klein (Laura Dern), the gossip of a small town and the escalating tensions of a murder in the background - a death that is unknown until the final episode, make this a gripping proscenium arch for some of the finest acting on television. The husbands/men are well portrayed by Alexander Skarsgård (brilliant) James Tupper, Jeffrey Nordling, Adam Scott, and Santiago Cabrera, and the young actors who portray the first graders are all excellent as is Abigail (Kathryn Newton) the teenage daughter of Madeline, and the important role of Bonnie (Zoë Kravitz). It is all about the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves in all aspects of life just to survive. Brilliant!
While Madeline (Resse Witherspoon) and Celeste (Nicole Kidman) take in Monterrey single mom Jane (Shailene Woodley) none of them realizes how the arrival of Jane and her inscrutable little boy Ziggy (Iain Armitage) will affect them all. The story is complex, told in flashbacks, but concentrates on the role of parents and the role of women frustrated by their pasts and their confinement to being stay at home moms. Previous affairs, the initial accusation that Ziggy abused the fellow first grade daughter of the wealth Renata Klein (Laura Dern), the gossip of a small town and the escalating tensions of a murder in the background - a death that is unknown until the final episode, make this a gripping proscenium arch for some of the finest acting on television. The husbands/men are well portrayed by Alexander Skarsgård (brilliant) James Tupper, Jeffrey Nordling, Adam Scott, and Santiago Cabrera, and the young actors who portray the first graders are all excellent as is Abigail (Kathryn Newton) the teenage daughter of Madeline, and the important role of Bonnie (Zoë Kravitz). It is all about the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves in all aspects of life just to survive. Brilliant!