Review | Engaging and DISTURBING, ‘Baby Rena’ is one of Netflix’s best productions

In recent years, the Netflix has delivered several high-caliber productions that have become public and critical successes. We had, for example, the miniseries ‘Bullshit’starring Steve Yeun It is Ali Wong, which exploded as one of the most applauded original titles on the platform and took home numerous awards. Now, continuing its wave of well-thought-out, critical and acidic narratives, the platform streaming presented us with one of the best iterations of the year: ‘Baby Reindeer’.

From the unexpected name of the project to the construction of the plot and the impeccable performance of a strong cast, each sequence designed by the writer and show man Richard Gadd It is filled with a touch of passionate drama and suspense. The plot is inspired by a show by Gadd himself, who even plays a fictional rendition of himself (here under the name Donny Dunn), in which he was stalked and sexually abused when he was in his twenties. In this sphere, your aggressor emerges in the persona by Martha Scott (Jessica Gunning in a performance fabulous from beginning to end) and, over the course of seven brief episodes, he talks about how this whole passionate adventure came about for all the wrong reasons, making us want more, but leaving us grateful for the artistic quality immortalized throughout the chapters.

Gadd, confined to an expanding arch beat after beat, knows how to direct his own narrative without relying on the conveniences of the genre and betting his chips on a perfect and thought-provoking creative mix – filled with surprising breaks in expectations, purposeful exaggerations of characters and an exuberant chemistry with his co-star; Gunning, as briefly mentioned in the paragraph above, gives herself body and soul to the character she is given, providing an absurdist performance that matches the defined atmosphere and allows her to construct Martha’s mannerisms as she sees fit. It’s no surprise, then, that both have a great chance of becoming favorites in the upcoming awards season.

Another aspect to be analyzed – and which appears as a positive point – is the solid direction of Weronika Tofilska It is Josephine Bornebusch. Sharing the responsibility of overseeing the episodes, it is notable how both keep a clear aesthetic in mind: on the one hand, we have an appreciation for accelerated editing, providing even more rhythm for the short time of the iterations; on the other, a conflicting spectrum between the protagonists marked by the accurate choice of sober and firm photography, by costumes that contrast with each other. Of course, considering the perspective from which the story is viewed, it was only obvious that the characterization of personas it would be very different from one another – and that is the beauty of the production: we know that we are dealing with something impartial and we buy into this thought-provoking journey, devouring it in one sitting.

With each chapter, we realize that Martha’s actions intensify into a psychopathy that has already been represented in different ways in the audiovisual scenario. However, Gaad, in collaboration with the directors, does not want to follow the tiring pattern of similar works and does everything to move away from potential clichés that tarnish the structural and technical originality of the miniseries – and, apart from him and Gunning, nothing This would be possible without the presence of names like Nava Mau, Tom Goodman-Hill, Hugh Coles and others in the cast, helping us understand this complex, intricate and exasperating arc. And, as we get closer to the resolution, we have nothing to do but surrender to the knot in our stomach that makes us immediately want to reflect on what we just watched – in the most complimentary way possible.

‘Baby Reindeer’ is a very welcome addition to the Netflix catalog that not only delivers what it promised with the production presented, but exceeds any expectations by, by not taking itself seriously and letting the talent speak louder, addicting us to a one of the most superb miniseries of recent years. It is very likely that the growing success of the title will give it an additional highlight in the awards this year and the beginning of next – even more so as it is becoming popular with audiences around the planet and attracting countless fans who could even transform it. in a production with the potential for more seasons.