L'altra Grace

What a well made, superbly acted and completely fascinating series this turned out to be. A true life murder is always interesting but the details here are not too well known like Lizzie Borden's story. An Irish maid emigrates to Canada but gets caught up and convicted of the murder of her employer and housekeeper. The psychological and emotional insights are so well incorporated they ring true. The dialog is such that you listen for every word though some of the accents are a bit thick.

Acting is superb. Sarah Gadon is luminous and perfectly cast. Deserves an Emmy. Her facial expressions are just right for the complexities of the role. Anna Paquin is good too in a difficult role. Zachary Levi is kind and surprisingly not out of place in the time period. The supporting cast are good too.

The directing is precise and shows you what you need for the story. The horrific and painful parts of the story are such that it could not have been shown in such detail if it was adapted many years ago. What a perfect balance of beauty and horror.

The series is 6 episodes. Just the right length - neither too long to have any draggy moments or too short to feel short changed in any way. This series shows CBC more than matching the best BBC can produce.

Very well written and brilliantly acted. Sarah Gadon is amazing. The story was told in an interesting way, and Grace's journey made me uncomfortable and tense quite often. That is until the last couple of episodes. All tension went away, things all of sudden appear rushed/forced, especially the last episode.

Could have been a 10/10. Worth watching though.

A little bit slow and not really clear ending. Acting is good and I really like the characters

This six-episode miniseries is an exquisitely shot piece that features a standout lead actress performance. Alas, after a strong beginning it sort of just fades into "good" territory when it seemingly could have elevated to "great".

For a very basic overview, Alias Grace (based on the Margaret Atwood novel of the same name) tells the story of Grace Marks (Sarah Gadon), a woman in 1840s Canada imprisoned for the murder of Nancy Montgomery (Anna Paquin). Psychologist Dr. Jordan (Edward Holcroft) takes an interest in her case and conducts a series of interviews to determine if her conviction is legitimate or based on faulty confessions/evidence. Through these interviews, Grace reflects on much of her past, filling in key backstories until getting to the "true story" of the murder itself.

The main reason Alias Grace leaves a bit of a mark in the streaming landscape is because it is so impeccably shot by Brendan Steacy. The images here are incredibly crisp, clean, and often haunting.

It of course helps to have Gadon's otherworldly performance as Grace. An award-worthy role, to be sure. One can't help but get swept away by her saga, as she displays such a wide range of emotions (often simply from her facial expressions and eyes) from beginning to end.

The limiting factor of Alias Grace, however, is that the miniseries does not end as strong as it begins. For the first two episodes (8/10 stars by me), it shows real promise as an engaging murder mystery and enlightening tale of female misunderstanding and abuse. But then, three 7/10 episodes roll by that are only visually (not plot) exciting before the finale claws back to 8-star range. The biggest problem? The show relies too much on the resolution of the murder mystery and not quite enough on the more interesting character intrigue/arcs.

It is quite possible that even at six episodes, Alias Grace is a little long in the tooth (at very least for what director Mary Harron wanted to focus on). It isn't a bad watch by any means, but the promise of the initial episodes sort of squeaks away like air out of a faulty balloon.

The series is great until the very end, when they rushed it and pretty much ruined everything by leaving no satisfactory conclusion nor resolution. I loved the main character, she makes such a great psycho on moments with her comments. Her storytelling is compelling, like Scheherazade she's buying her time seducing the listener. Pity the ending was not a bit more meaningful.