The Beautiful Lie

I am very much enjoying this mini series. I have never read or seen Anna Karenina so I am not comparing it to that. I see this as a very realistic, and rather stylish and moody take on cheating and sudden attraction. Then chronicling the destruction and fall out which follows. I feel like they have not made it look pretty or fun or easy either. Everyone has been dramatically affected by the main characters choice to embark on an affair. The obvious people like her husband and little boy, but also the people all around her that she hurt. She cries in episode 5, I have lost my family, meaning all the extra people who form our families, not just her blood family and ex. Skeet, the man she cheats with, is interesting to me. I like the actor and I have never seen him before. What I found so interesting is how she meets his mother on a plane ride just before she meets him and the Mother clearly tells her how Skeet never stays with women. He moves on and loses interest quickly. It was like she got this very intimate run down on the guy from his Mom, but her sexual attraction blitzed her brain. I found the side story of the insecure young women who was engaged to Skeet and then finds love after, and the alcoholic brother and his brother moving and well done. There is one episode left and I have no idea how this is all going to turn out, but I am looking forward to it.

Allegedly a re-working of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, The Beautiful Lie has a great ambition. Some of the script, parts of the acting and occasional moments achieve something really worthwhile, but as a whole it isn't satisfying or believable.

More than that, none of the characters really engages us as viewers, so we may want to find out who ends up with whom, and why, but we don't get the sense that any of them are real.

The contrast with Tolstoy is vast: his moral and psychological vision was profound and engaging, whereas The Beautiful Lie takes us into a world of mostly trivia and lust, disguised as love.

I suspect this was a 6-part series that got extended. That makes it even less likely to retain our attention.

I think it's a little sad that people approach this charming mini-series expecting familiar Anna Karenina players, dialogue and scenery. I don't think the creators ever intended that. It exudes charm, wit and passion from the very start, but in its own way. Sure, matching the characters with their Tolstoy counterparts is entertaining, but this modern story stands alone. The character portrayals are engaging and the adaptation of the plot accessible to everyone. The Australian brand humour is masterful and draws well on multiple comedians in the cast. Celia Pacquola as Dolly is especially rewarding. Sarah Snook in the lead role of Anna is a revelation. Such a virtuoso! She is definitely someone to watch out for (go ahead and put her on your watch list). Even the creepy and sleazy Skeet, whom we can't help but dislike (or maybe that is just me) plays the role so you want to see the next creepy thing he'll do. The only let down for me was the music. Skeet is a musician / mixer. The sounds coming from his group during the show, and sometimes used as interlude music, is a slow wailing death. All in all it's a funny and tragic love story with a ton of story line and characters to keep you laughing, frowning and perplexed by the actions of seemingly sensible people who will become your friends. I guarantee you'll miss these friends after the final episode.

The review I just read suggests that I watched a different mini-series. However, that is not so. The difference of opinion, fortunately, is just that. Some people like me liked it, others like the person who gave it two stars obviously did not. It is not high-brow, but it is interesting and entertaining, and at least to me, that's enough. Sarah Snook deserves good scripts, and this one probably did not stretch her. Worth a look and a listen because some of the music is very interesting, and I found the emotional tension quite realistic. The irrational behaviours exhibited by several of the characters were believable, and not unlike what I have seen in real life. Not all productions are going to be highly cerebral, and that is alright because sometimes it is entertaining to just watch, not think too much, and enjoy watching reasonable actors and actresses.

The Beautiful Lie is a surprisingly well-made Australian gem and possibly the best TV mini-series out there on love, betrayal and disillusion.

It tells its story simply yet awesomely, is backed by a stellar main and supporting cast who play so believably and is led by the brilliant and sun-like Sarah Snook. This actress does such an amazing job, performs at such a high level that the other actors are merely gravitating around her and bowing imperceptibly to her huge talent.

The story is so gripping, so riveting that many times, I thought to myself that it is so well-made that it's dangerous, may well be setting some new precedences and making some people wanna reconsider their relationships. It is that good and that award-worthy.

The series flows with amazing ease, is easy on the eyes and enthralls you emotionally. It is captivating like a snake looking at and hypnotizing its prey.

It's an original masterpiece, well worth watching and re-watching, while pondering on the dangers of lies, told beautifully, but nevertheless lies.