TV SERIES REVIEW: "Sharp Objects" (2018)

Reconciliation with the past. Self-acceptance. Psychological conflicts. Destructive addictions. These are just a few of the themes that are present in this powerful drama series... One of HBO's latest and most daring invests, it once again delivers top quality material (something considered as a "tradition" of the channel).

The series revolves around Camille Preaker, a reporter who is seeking redemption in her life after serious episodes of self-harm (which made her pass through a psychiatric hospital.) She also suffers from alcoholism, the path she chooses to follow in order to find a way out is to delve into her work, so she decides to return to her hometown (Wind Gap) and try to solve the mystery surrounding the disappearance of two girls.

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However, this return to the past ends up being a rather tortuous visit. Amid the unleashing of bitter memories (childhood traumas and teenage traumas), she still needs to know how to deal with an unwanted presence: reunion with her own mother (someone with whom she had a complicated emotional relationship).

The script follows an extremely interesting constructive narrative (because beyond the central mystery there is a ramification of parallel problems). Not only is its history (by the way, it is full of nuances), but also its characters, in an integrative way... The plot follows unusual paths to build itself in a very organic way, something very close to what represents the naturalness of the real life with those who have (or have had) similar problems (or equal) to those of the protagonist.

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There is extra care that too much detail about the information that construct the narrative doesn't inflate the story in a uncomfortable way for the viewer (who ends up chewing on it without any major setbacks). However simple some of the clues as to the whereabouts of the girls, nothing should be discarded... Basically, because everything that is shown in the episodes is of fundamental importance for the resolution of the mystery.

This artifice is used by the series (and it's used very well!) as a background to center the story because the narrative is really about the courage and also the willpower that are present in the essence of a human being who finds herself broken and momentarily lost and confused, that doesn't know how to ask for help in a proper way.

HBO

Amy Adams delivers one of her finest performances here (a work no less than phenomenal!) and also leads a very competent cast (with other prominent names like Patricia Clarkson) that complements the scenes they share together. The deepening of its characters is notorious and very well constructed, making the history gain contours even more realistic.

The director responsible for tying all this up and conducting the events in a magnificent way is the excellent Jean-Marc Vallée (also director of another HBO hit, Big Little Lies). The intense look he has to correlate the facts and make the whole thing happen is well refined and refined. In addition, the security he has to put the dramatic elements in the viewer's mind is something enviable to any director (such is the quality of his work).

Technically, the series is also very good and has a very engaging physical aesthetic. The photograph has a very obscure elements (something that enriches the narrative arcs of the story in a visually attractive way), the editing of scenes is well thought out (and whenever possible, tries to escape the obvious) and the soundtrack is well-made (mainly because it has a direct connection to each of the eight episodes that make up the whole) and applied at strategic moments.

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Based on one of Gillian Flynn's novels (the same as the excellent Gone Girl), the television material embodied in Sharp Objects is very dynamic (at times even flirting with surrealism), consistently firm in its proposal and full of tense moments which automatically create ample spaces for discussions about a range of issues directly involving morals and ethics.