What made me watch Kristen Bell’s latest mini-series on Netflix was the eye-catching title itself – full of complexities and curiosity. As you watch the trailer you are left with tons of unanswered questions and a thirst to find out did Anna (Kristen Bell) really know?
As you traverse across these 8 episodes you see how each one gets more twisted than before, almost leaving you in a blur as bad as Anna’s hallucinations. As she copes with the tragedy of losing her daughter we see her often knowingly gulping wine with medication. The show vividly portrays the impact of grief and loss. Her conscious choices and ways to cope lend insight into the disturbing corners of her mind. The eerie soundtrack by Nami Melumad truly enhances the thrill and suspense.
Through the series, a very vulnerable Anna is drawn to her next-door neighbour Neil, shortly before she witnesses his girlfriend Lisa being murdered. Anna’s emotional and psychological condition makes her a negligible witness, but she doesn’t stop there. Her faith in what she saw overpowers everything and she takes solving the murder into her own hands.
The attitudes and reactions of the community and the police really bring to the light how easily one is labelled crazy. It depicts how crazy is often deemed equivalent to guilty and in this case murderer. Anna, although experiencing self-induced hallucinations, faces this wrath of societal impressions. A jarring contrast in behaviour is seen when Anna attends support group sessions where she candidly shares her life with them. The core of this show thus lies in the complexities of Anna’s character.
Each episode brings forth a new suspect, a new perspective but only gets you more tangled than before. This satirical thriller takes you on an outrageous journey full of twists and turns. It carefully tiptoes on the line between unsettling and funny.
Maahira Jain is a third-year student at Ashoka University studying Psychology and Media studies. She is a movie buff and is extremely passionate about writing and travelling.
Picture Credits: Netflix
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