Unbelievable
Not a movie, but still.
This is an eight-part Netflix stand-alone series. Since it's a single story with no sequels or prequels or second seasons, it played more like an extended movie than anything. So it stays here.
Unbelievable starts with the assault -- or was it -- of Marie Adler, played by Kaitlyn Dever (Eve Baxter from Last Man Standing) in Washington State. Bullied by the police, including a drop in from Dawber (Coach) / Patrick (Spongebob) / Tom M-o-o-n Cullen (The Stand), Marie stumbles on some of the details and is eventually pushed into confessing that maybe she made it up, or didn't remember or dreamed it or something. The dismissive cops charge Marie with filing a false report, further exacerbating her already fragile state of mind.
This long-form film follows her psychological torment while she struggles with the mental, physical and legal struggles as she tries to recover from aftermath of the event that either did or didn't happen. In episode 2 it veers off into a tangentially related story of assault investigations hundreds of miles away.
As Marie's trying, and largely failing, to keep her life under control the film shifts perspective and brings us into the world of Colorado detective Karen Duvall, played with understated flair by Merritt Weaver. I knew her from a flaccid performance as a possibly lesbian doctor-in-training on The Walking Dead. Duvall is investigating an assault that sounds a lot like the one perpetrated on Marie, but as it's hundreds of miles away there's no connection. Duvall accidentally discovers another attack in a different jurisdiction and eventually teams up with seasoned investigator Grace Rasmussen -- Toni Collette -- who's looking into that case.
Over the course of the series the victims pile up and their stories circle the same rotten, perpetually traumatic ground as Adlers. Could the assaults be related? Will the detectives make the long leap to connect Adler's story and vindicate her? Was Adler lying? Watch and find out.
Let me first say that the performances from the primary characters in this film were fantastic.
Dever portrayed an emotionally vulnerable, traumatized victim with conviction and clarity. If all you knew of her was the wisecracking tomboy Eve from Last Man Standing, you'd never believe she had this much depth to her. She brought a level of desperate intensity to her role that truly elevated the entire work.
Collette was good as she usually is. She's one of those who can drop into a role and you almost immediately forget she's acting. Same here. She put on the Grace Rasmussen suit and was right on.
Weaver enthralled me. Given her nondescript performance in The Walking Dead, I really didn't expect much. When I saw that she was going to be responsible for carrying a large part of this eight-hour exercise once the story spun to her investigation, I considered bailing on it. But I was already hooked by Dever's work and decided to wait it out. Glad I did. Weaver was compelling without being overbearing. She maintained a low-key even keel while simultaneously pushing herself to the limit. It was just a great effort on her part.
There are other people in this series you've seen in other things, but make no mistake this was carried by Dever, Weaver and Collette.
I've already seen all three mentioned as possible Emmy nominees for their work in this piece. I'd support any or all of them.
Yes it was eight hours, but it never seemed like it. The episodes moved slowly through the evidence but never lacked for tension or drifted into boredom. I thought it was extremely well done.
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