One Night

It is so incredibly wonderful to watch stories of womens' lives told by women. Over the past few years I look for these shows. It makes me realise how profoundly accustomed we were to watching stories about women as imagined by men. Another thing I noticed was that the reviews for these shows are filled with men saying how unrealistic the characters are, and how crazy the female characters are. It's so refreshing not to be limited by those points of view, to see ourselves represented in tv drama.

This is the second thing I've watched this week showing women living with a constant threat of intimidation. I grew up as a teenager in the 70's. We had a good life, lots of freedom, but I've been thinking lately about how it was natural for us to have to be so very careful. I sometimes talk to my sister about the ways we had to act and talk and adjust ourselves to stay safe. I'm beginning to notice how much we adapted how we are in the world, and every show like this that I see shifts that dynamic.

This series is so beautifully written, directed, acted. Early on I worried about the pacing, but then a few more threads got woven in and I worried how it could all be resolved in 6 episodes. I used to live a few kilometres from where this is set, just down the road a bit. It is stunning country, and thats obvious in the scenery in this series. Makes me wonder why more tv hasn't been made in the area. The steep bluffs, the ocean, the small villages dotted along the coast, the sea cliff bridge, all create such an atmospheric background.

A couple of things that stuck out for me. All the women were very natural, hair messy, skin blemishes. The older women - the grandmothers - had sun damage, as you do living in that climate. The accents were all excellent. None of the characters were perfect, they all had their flaws which was part of the complexity of the drama. But in the end they managed to come to terms with themselves and each other. There was a lot of very positive messaging without being in any way preachy.

I watched this in 2 sittings and absolutely loved it.

Is it true? Or have you created memories, because you do not want to remember what really happened?

Maybe you remember bits and pieces, how you felt at that particular night? What you thought has happened?

But then again, maybe you have blocked the whole night out in order to protect yourself?

Where is the truth between what these three women remember? Perhaps somewhere in the middle. Perhaps they do not have all the information that they need, in order to find out.

I watched this in one day, I am the same age as these women and I still find it difficult to admit that 20 years ago the concept of consent was unfamiliar territory.

This is probably one of my favorite series of all time, aptly addressing the issues of complicated female friendships, perceptions over time, and of course the prevalent issue of sexual assault and how it can impact you. Very intense, kept me wanting to keep watching each episode despite the late hour. All three leads were amazing, but Jodie Whittaker in that "one scene" where her expressions perfectly conveyed her emotional responses to what she was "listening to" ( I wont spoil it for you) just broke me.

All the characters are complex, as we are in real life, each trying their best to navigate their way after a traumatic night that robbed them of their youthful openness and joy about life.

I have a common interest in these types of stories, but this one really caught my attention. At first, i was going to watch it just for Jodie Whittaker. But as it went on, my emotions really skyrocketed even more than i imagined they would. I think all the actors did a brilliant job portraying their roles. It's such a rare experience to see queer normalisation and thats not even the focus of the plot. This show deserves way more love. I will happily recommend this to absolutely anyone who has an interest in dramas to do with past traumas. Please boost this show. There isn't enough content surrounding it.

I crave Australian shows because the acting is 10 times better than it is in the US for example. Don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings but aussies seem to have what it takes to make it look natural. Nothing is ever overplayed. By the way I'm French, so...

Although the storyline wasn't that exceptional, I immensely enjoyed watching some of my favourite actresses (Kat Stewart and Nicole Da Silva, Yael Stone) gathered for this occasion. Couldn't dream of a better cast!!

Also, the scenery is really breathtaking.

I definitely want (no, NEED) more of these productions.

Okay I'll go check IMDB now!