Most psychological thrillers are pretty cut-n-dry, but "The Crowded Room" took me by surprise in that regard. Between Tom Holland's nuanced performance and Amanda Seyfried's engaging acting, the story gradually took on a life of its own, and accrued layers of subtext. Moreover, the script was based on a true story.
This mini-series patiently unfurled the truth that good intentions don't always turn out for the better. Suspected of a shooting he didn't directly commit, and acting strangely suspect in his own way, Danny Sullivan created decisional chaos for the authorities trying to prove his guilt.
Tom Holland was extraordinary as Danny Sullivan. He went to some surprising places with his characters (plural intended). I'm referring to the bold ways in which he tackled Danny's split-personas.
His alter-ego sequences contained a blend of nuance and empathy. However, the reveal of his personalities weren't as secretive (plot-wise) as I'd expected them to be.
Amanda Seyfried as Rya Goodwin, a psychology professor, was intriguing in her own right. As astute as she was relentless, Rya slowly but surely zeroed in on the finer points of Danny's case.
Her aims weren't altogether altruistic - she wanted to gain academic recognition with her unique work - but her willingness to help Danny felt sincere.
One of the factors that made "The Crowded Room" even more amazing was its timeline. Set in New York City in the late 80s (1979, to be exact), the plot packed a nostalgic punch that was detailed enough to be compelling.
The script was adapted from Daniel Keyes' book "The Minds of Billy Milligan", which I have not read. But this show made a great case for me to pick up a copy.
Special shout-out to Zachary Golinger (as kid Danny Sullivan), Sasha Lane (as Ariana; Danny's alter-ego), Lior Raz (as Yitzhak Safdie; Danny's alter-ego), Emmy Rossum (as Candy; Danny's mum), Will Chase (as Marlin Reid; Danny's step-dad), Levon Hawke (as Jonny; Danny's alter-ego), Sam Vartholomeos (as Mike; Danny's alter-ego), Emma Laird (as Annabelle; Danny's high-school crush), Stephen Barrington (as Angelo; Danny's tormentor), Jason Isaacs (as Jack Lamb; Danny's alter-ego), Elijah Jones (as Jerome; Danny's alter-ego boyfriend), Laila Robins (as Susie; Rya's mum), Thomas Sadoski (as Matty Dunne; Rya's colleague), Carmen Ejogo (as Patricia Richards; the DDA in Danny's case), and Christopher Abbott (as Stan Camisa; Danny's attorney).
Rya - and all the viewers, am sure - wasn't ready for the revelations that followed as the episodes rolled on. Danny unfurled his life history in ways that dragged me in and showed me a shockingly poignant picture involving abuse, cruelty, and rape.
The split-personality angle didn't come as a surprise (though it should have), but was captivating nonetheless. The story was set in the early 80s during which time this mental condition was relatively new. When seen from that perspective, nearly all the scenes featuring the disorder felt intriguing and saddening.
The story was brave enough to frame dark truths about the human mind, especially that of an innocent young man. It didn't shy from going to some shadowy places.
Through Danny Sullivan, "The Crowded Room" felt like a wake-up call and a provocative peek into the mind of a seemingly ordinary person.
Danny Sullivan's truth or lie was open to interpretation, but one thing was clear - the legal system, as we know it, does not believe in keeping an open mind.
Because if it did, they'd have invested their attention on debunking the split-personality disorder they so diligently refused to accept was real. And they'd have gone about doing it by rallying more external scientific support as opposed to searching for that needle exclusively in Danny's haystack.
"The Crowded Room" presented smart proof that the easy way out is often disguised as a legal pursuit of seemingly hard facts. After all, the very notion and nature of split-personalities have since been proven to exist.
What else do we refuse to believe today that could someday be proven? How many lives will be too late to reclaim the broken pieces of their past? These and other queries found a clear echo in "The Crowded Room", not to forget just how many innocent people are currently serving unjust sentences behind bars for crimes that were overly simplified to align with the laws of a broken system.
This mini-series patiently unfurled the truth that good intentions don't always turn out for the better. Suspected of a shooting he didn't directly commit, and acting strangely suspect in his own way, Danny Sullivan created decisional chaos for the authorities trying to prove his guilt.
Tom Holland was extraordinary as Danny Sullivan. He went to some surprising places with his characters (plural intended). I'm referring to the bold ways in which he tackled Danny's split-personas.
His alter-ego sequences contained a blend of nuance and empathy. However, the reveal of his personalities weren't as secretive (plot-wise) as I'd expected them to be.
Amanda Seyfried as Rya Goodwin, a psychology professor, was intriguing in her own right. As astute as she was relentless, Rya slowly but surely zeroed in on the finer points of Danny's case.
Her aims weren't altogether altruistic - she wanted to gain academic recognition with her unique work - but her willingness to help Danny felt sincere.
One of the factors that made "The Crowded Room" even more amazing was its timeline. Set in New York City in the late 80s (1979, to be exact), the plot packed a nostalgic punch that was detailed enough to be compelling.
The script was adapted from Daniel Keyes' book "The Minds of Billy Milligan", which I have not read. But this show made a great case for me to pick up a copy.
Special shout-out to Zachary Golinger (as kid Danny Sullivan), Sasha Lane (as Ariana; Danny's alter-ego), Lior Raz (as Yitzhak Safdie; Danny's alter-ego), Emmy Rossum (as Candy; Danny's mum), Will Chase (as Marlin Reid; Danny's step-dad), Levon Hawke (as Jonny; Danny's alter-ego), Sam Vartholomeos (as Mike; Danny's alter-ego), Emma Laird (as Annabelle; Danny's high-school crush), Stephen Barrington (as Angelo; Danny's tormentor), Jason Isaacs (as Jack Lamb; Danny's alter-ego), Elijah Jones (as Jerome; Danny's alter-ego boyfriend), Laila Robins (as Susie; Rya's mum), Thomas Sadoski (as Matty Dunne; Rya's colleague), Carmen Ejogo (as Patricia Richards; the DDA in Danny's case), and Christopher Abbott (as Stan Camisa; Danny's attorney).
Rya - and all the viewers, am sure - wasn't ready for the revelations that followed as the episodes rolled on. Danny unfurled his life history in ways that dragged me in and showed me a shockingly poignant picture involving abuse, cruelty, and rape.
The split-personality angle didn't come as a surprise (though it should have), but was captivating nonetheless. The story was set in the early 80s during which time this mental condition was relatively new. When seen from that perspective, nearly all the scenes featuring the disorder felt intriguing and saddening.
The story was brave enough to frame dark truths about the human mind, especially that of an innocent young man. It didn't shy from going to some shadowy places.
Through Danny Sullivan, "The Crowded Room" felt like a wake-up call and a provocative peek into the mind of a seemingly ordinary person.
Danny Sullivan's truth or lie was open to interpretation, but one thing was clear - the legal system, as we know it, does not believe in keeping an open mind.
Because if it did, they'd have invested their attention on debunking the split-personality disorder they so diligently refused to accept was real. And they'd have gone about doing it by rallying more external scientific support as opposed to searching for that needle exclusively in Danny's haystack.
"The Crowded Room" presented smart proof that the easy way out is often disguised as a legal pursuit of seemingly hard facts. After all, the very notion and nature of split-personalities have since been proven to exist.
What else do we refuse to believe today that could someday be proven? How many lives will be too late to reclaim the broken pieces of their past? These and other queries found a clear echo in "The Crowded Room", not to forget just how many innocent people are currently serving unjust sentences behind bars for crimes that were overly simplified to align with the laws of a broken system.