Disclaimer

Dang! I was not aware of the experience I was in for when I started screening this AppleTV+ limited series starring Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline. "Disclaimer" is based on a novel of the same name by Renée Knight, and it was written for the screen and directed by Alfonso Cuarón. At its core, this is a revenge story. Blanchett stars as Catherine, a journalist whose secrets of her past resurface in an alarming way, causing her to confront that past as it wreaks havoc on her entire life. This was a masterfully told story, taking us along a fascinating journey of discovery as the audience is shown (sometimes in vivid detail) the "events" of Catherine's past. Blanchett, as always, is fantastic in here and Kline puts in a solid performance as well. It was surprising to see Sacha Baron Cohen in a more serious role, but he did it justice. Despite a couple/few minor nitpicks, I highly recommend this series if you like character dramas with some added tension/intrigue. Note: There are some pretty graphic depictions of sex/intimacy shown throughout various episodes. This isn't action-packed, and it did take about half an episode (roughly 30 minutes) before I eventually got "hooked" onto the story. But boy am I glad I stuck around. Video review to come shortly.

The movies starts off annoying and shaky, but it slowly builds into an intriguing story. I don't know if Alfonso has an enemy on IMDB, that accounts for the brutal and unfair 1-star ratings, but they are completely out of line. .

At first it doesn't seem like an outright mystery, more like a tragic drama. But you start to get the feeling that there is more to the story than the seemingly obvious good vs bad characters. It gets darker and more complex with each episode. To the point where I felt I had to come back here to change my original review, and add stars.

The cockroach situation is disturbing and telling.

Now for the grey cat. A minute detail, but this may be the first show I've ever seen actually depict a real cat/human relationship. How a cat is always by your side. Curious, mischievous, entertaining and tender. I really appreciate a film that doesn't caste the cat as an aloof or even as a dark presence. The grey cat in this movie has more charm than all the humans combined, and steals every scene he is in. Hope he gets an Oscar!

It's a great series and I'm all in!

It could easily have been reduced to a banal two-hour film. Sex scenes, I would say, definitely too explicit and strong for a TV series, sometimes even less is enough to understand what is happening. I am not a bigot, on the contrary 😉, but I believe that on the visual side sex should always be treated more lightly, we all know how it works 😂. I approached the series thinking of a thriller, with which it has very little to do, we are faced with a drama. The story is well told, the characters well developed and the acting absolutely exceptional, I also like the off-screen speech, it gives a "poetic" and "introspective" touch to the characters directly involved. I still think that a film would have been more appropriate.

Never read the book, so judging the series as a standalone. The series is way too long, stretched way too much. It was intriguing and mysterious for the first few episodes, but by episode five, I was like, "Oh my god, just conclude it already.". Catherine's silence/constantly being interrupt while trying to tell her side feels like just a plot mechanism to keep the story going. Clearly setting up for a "twist".

The constant, detailed sex scenes are just ew. Literally porn. I don't mind sex scenes, but if I want to watch "detailed" sex scenes that last ten minutes, my first choice for that would not be Apple TV+.

Some of the negative reviews seem to suggest the good reviews are a "conspiracy", unable to grasp the simple concept that we all have different tastes.

There are plot holes for sure, but the story hits you hard when you realize every character is a despicable human being, and you see the horrible cruelty, ego, and hate that fester in the human psyche. It's well acted, and the story develops impressively.

The 7/10 score reflects the plot holes, all the things that happened between Katherine and Jonathan were only witnessed by them, yet somehow the grieving mother wrote it up as if she saw every moment, and then it just became fact in the show.

But it is powerful, the emotions it instills, the wonderful way you catch yourself feeling sorry for one of the characters, only to realize they are despicable.

Well worth a watch (I am not a bot or an employee of the production company in case any conspiracy theorists are here).....(that's what THEY would say!!)