Few movies or television miniseries will hit you in the heart and stay with you long after they are finished but Netflix's
When They See Us proves to be one of those cases. The overall experience is one that is nothing short of being powerful, depressing, life-changing, and informative as this miniseries will not only hit audiences hard but make them question what it means to find justice in America. Helmed by
Selma director Ava Duvernay, she brings another true story to life on film and manages to strike an emotional chord with audiences that not only makes them think about the scenario being presented, but brings a shocking truth with the narrative she's trying to show. Netflix's
When They See Us is a miniseries that needs to be both experienced as well as seen and discussed by family and friends in order to fully grasp the scope of the story it depicts so well and does so in a way which is unforgettable, disturbing, and ultimately inspirational. Unlike many Netflix shows and specials, this one strikes a chord and stays with you long after its over even going as far as questioning ones own freedom while realizing it should never be taken for granted. Although
When They See Us doesn't quality for the list of the years best movies, it certainly deserves to go down as one of the best TV shows or miniseries this year as its not just a presentation, its an experience that should be viewed by the widest audience. If this was an actual film, it would already be a lock for numerous Golden Globe and Oscar nominations as the end result is a triumph in great filmmaking as well as a dramatic portrait of human nature.
The plot for
When They See Us centers around five teens from Harlem being falsely accused of a brutal rape of a female jogger in Central Park, branding them the Central Park Five. The miniseries covers their arrest, their interrogation and forceful confessions, their court trails and sentencing, the aftermath of their time in prison, and ultimately their vindication when the actual rapist of the female jogger comes forward with his own recollection of the infamous attack with DNA testing proving to be an exact match. With the miniseries, director Duvernay chooses not to hold back and presents both the facts as well as the drama with her strong directing skills as well as the films brilliant screenplay and an extremely talented ensemble cast of actors that accompany her. Whereas
Selma showed huge potential with Duvernay as a filmmaker, its this miniseries that showcases not just the scope of her talents but her depth and determination to deliver a story that's both disturbing, powerful, and ultimately hard-hitting with its end message. She makes you care about the Central Park Five showing both their duress as well as capturing their innocence as they're being forced to confess to a crime which they had no connection with. She manages to capture the humanity of the kids during their trial and aftermath while effectively handling the scope of the story. The miniseries as a whole is heartbreaking and tough to watch at times (Particularly the prison scenes involving Jharrel Jerome's character), but also serves as a powerful experience as it shows people who suffered under an imperfect and deeply flawed justice system. In an era where police misconduct is at an all time high as well as the debate over criminal justice reform, the timing was perfect for Duvernay to enter the picture with her extremely powerful and unforgettable miniseries that rightfully earns its impressive 16 Emmy award nominations.
As far as acting performances go, the cast is amazing here with the child actors delivering totally believable and stunning performances with the adult cast serving as strong parallels with an equally powerful supporting cast. Asante Blackk, Caleel Harris, Ethan Herisse, Marquis Rodriguez, and Jharrel Jerome all deliver strong to amazing performances with Jerome stealing the show from everyone as well as carrying the strongest character arc as he went from being the one person who wasn't even involved to suffering the worst out of everyone during his time in prison. Coming off a strong breakthrough performance in the Oscar winning film
Moonlight, Jerome earns his first Emmy award nomination for a performance that's both brilliant, heartbreaking, inspirational, and ultimately unforgettable. The fact that he is able to play the young and older versions of himself both in and out of prison is unbelievably impressive and shows pure dedication and devotion to the story and character. In terms of the performances of the older versions of the young actors,
Gotham's Chris Chalk shines in his role along with Freddy Miyares in what's arguably the second strongest arc of the young Central Park Five followed by Justin Cunningham, Jovan Adepo, and Jerome. The casting of the young and older versions of the Central Park Five is believable and comes off as being totally convincing. As for the films supporting cast, the list is strong and highly effective with Kylie Bunbury turning in a strong performance as Kevins sister, Felicity Huffman in a strong performance as the infamous Linda Fairstein who later received backlash for her part in prosecuting the young boys,
Bate's Motels Vera Farmiga once again shining through as prosecutor Elizabeth Lederer. Unlike Fairstein she has an idea that the kids are innocent but is forced to carry out her job though is shown to be uncomfortable with it, John Lequizamo and Michael Kenneth Williams deliver both strong and haunting performances as Raymond Santana and Bobby McCray's loving yet flawed fathers, the film shows both their imperfections as well as their love for their children as they didn't know what to do with the situation that emerged. The audience clearly gets to see with these two main characters the toll that the case took not just on their sons lives but the lives of their families both before and after. Other strong supporting roles come from
Dawson's Creek's Joshua Jackson as the Central Park Five's lawyer, who believes in their innocence from the start and genuinely tries his best to secure their freedom,
X-men's Famke Janssen does well as Manhatten prosecutor Nancy Ryan, who discovers the Five's innocence when another suspect comes forward with a full confession and offers a DNA test. Blair Underwood as one of the kids attorney, and
Die Hard 2's William Sadler playing one of the crooked cops in the investigation. One can go on with the impressive casting displayed within the miniseries, but the point is made that both the casting and performances are impeccable and worthy of total celebration. Everyone appears to be absorbing the source material and bring their A game to their roles, ultimately creating an experience that often feels special and informative for large portions of its audience.
In terms of directing and writing, Ava DuVernay delivers what can most arguably be described as her masterpiece as a filmmaker. With this miniseries, Ava doesn't hold back nor shy away from the harsh realities of the story such as the experiences the Central Park Five endured both during and after prison as they attempted to pick up the pieces of the broken puzzle which tragically was their own lives they were putting back together. DuVernay made you peek into the soul of these men with the characters Raymond Santana and Korey Wise having the strongest character arcs with both being acted out brilliantly by both the young and older actors. DuVerney films this one in a way which places the boys in a nightmarish hell in which there is little to no escape with her incorporating a blue filter to enhance the intense mood. Her direction remains focused with her capturing the full emotions of the Central Park Five characters as well as the families experience in coping with the reality of the situation. Despite the overall scope of the story, she keeps the story focused on the boys and what them and their families lost over a decades long ordeal. Her directing also shines in regards to creativity during the courtroom scenes where she places emphasis on the different styles of language the lawyers use with intense focus on the rhetoric that's shown by both the prosecutors (Fairstein's character for example) and the reporters to describe the Central Park Five as animals basically who committed a heinous crime. If this film was a wide theatrical release as a shorter Hollywood film, DuVerney would easily be up for an Oscar nomination for Best Director for her phenomenal work here. This is her finest hour in terms of directing and one looks to the future with great anticipation to see what else she does as she crafted a story that's both powerful, and informative. The screenplay by DuVerney, Julian Breece, Robin Swicord, Attica Locke, and Michael Starrbury feels complete with the story feeling like it was fully covered while giving humanity to the main characters while giving notable light to the supporting cast. Given that the miniseries was broken up into four total parts, the writing as a whole was very strong and allowed for both the story and characters to progress with each of the four episodes getting more dramatic and intense in scope. In terms of overall impact, the last episode probably was the one that hit home the hardest once audiences see what happens to Jharrel Jerome's character.
Overall the miniseries as a whole is an unbelievably powerful experience that needs to be seen by everyone willing to watch to understand the significance of it. Out of the four episodes the ones that are the most powerful are probably the first and the fourth episodes with the latter being absolutely chilling.
When They See Us genuinely feels like a case of lightning in a bottle as the acting, the writing, and directing all seem to combine together beautifully to create an experience that will both enlighten and haunt its audience. The miniseries as a whole showcases the injustice that both black and brown people experience at the hand of law enforcement while carrying within it a desire for justice as well as the truth. In the end, When They See Us until surpassed should rightfully go down as Ava DuVerney's best as well as most personal work as she clearly gives her all as a filmmaker into telling such a beautiful and haunting story, The acting here is amazing with the writing, directing, and cinematography being top notch. In terms of pacing, the miniseries is a slow burner but an experience that should be endured for those who want to see what the hype is about. Netflix's
When They See Us delivers an empathetic yet harrowing glimpse into a landmark case that involved five young men who committed no crime yet ended up enduring a decade of suffering both inside and out of prison for a crime they never committed. DuVarney delivers a miniseries to audiences that challenges them to watch, to reflect, to think, and ask themselves what it means to seek justice and whether everyone will receive fair treatment at the end of the day, or them for that matter. If this was a film, it would hands down end up on the list of best movies of 2019 but instead it will have to do for best miniseries of the year. Reported to be one of the most watched Netflix specials so far this year with a total of 23 million views,
When They See Us is not just a powerful viewing experience but a vital one in terms of showing how young teens can be exploited and framed for both political and career gain.
Final Verdict: A MUST SEE
No comments:
Post a Comment