mjanelle-24974

I'm giving this an 8 overall. The performances, particularly from newcomer and newly minted Emmy winner Owen Cooper, were all outstanding, though I'm surprised Erin Doherty as the psychologist in Episode 3 didn't get more love - I thought she was incredible showing her emotions only with her eyes while maintaining as steely exterior.

Episode 3 was the strongest of the four, with Owen commanding the scene throughout. This followed by Episode 1, then 4, then 2 (which I found to be the weakest of the four and would rate a 4 or 5 max). I'll break these down one episode at a time.

Episode 1 establishes the fact that a crime has been committed and sets both the tone and the technique for the series. The single take, real time filming and storytelling is interesting (though does become a little distracting and too self-aware as the series progresses). But we find the central family taken by surprise by a militaristic police force who break in the door (without first knocking), charge the house, and begin to ransack it while searching for their charge, who turns out to be 13 year old kid. They take the kid in custody, his fear palpable as he's roused out of bed in the very early morning and manhandled into the transport van to the police station. We, the audience, remain as in the dark about what is happening as the family is. It's obvious that there's been a crime, and that Jamie (the kid) is the prime suspect. It is not until the end of the episode that we find out, quick shockingly, what he is suspected/accused of doing. We find out when and how the family does.

As strong and disturbing as this opening episode is, I do have one major problem with the narrative. This is the revelation of a crime that occurred in the middle of the night and barely 8 hours before the arrest. With the coordination necessary among the police, etc., and with only a dark and not particularly sharp set of videos to go by, how on Earth was the police able to select the correct set of video, identify the suspect and pinpoint his location in the middle of the night in that short a period of time. I know there is almost always a suspension of disbelief in storytelling, but this is presented in such a realistic and real time manner, that this question is jarring right from the beginning.

That aside Episode 1 set the tone for the rest of the series and completely hooked me for the rest of the series.

But then came Episode 2. This felt disjointed, with the removal of Jamie and his family. This focuses entirely on the school where Jamie and the crime victim went, their classmates and friends. You get a small amount of information, but not much. There is frustration seen among the police, confusion and fear by the teachers, and not much from the students, save three who have unique ties to the story (trying hard not to give spoilers away). Other that this, though, there is not much to say, except that the police move through the school and talk to the students and teachers. There's one scene with a friend of the victim talking to a teacher, but it doesn't go anywhere, and feels like time and effort that could/should have been used better.

Then we have the strongest scene, Scene 3. This mostly takes place in one room (with some side travels through the halls and offices of the detention/"training" facility where Jamie is being held). Aside from some brief interactions between the psychologist and two other adults in the facility, the episode is 50 minutes of a conversation between a psychologist and a 13 year old boy accused of a horrendous crime. The crime barely gets mentioned, and instead focuses on Jamie's feelings about specific topics, his family (particularly his father), girls and sex, his friends or lack thereof. The scene is claustrophobic and powerful in its simplicity and VERY effective.

Here is where the series shines, and Owen Cooper earns his Emmy. For 50 minutes he holds is own and carries the scene. You can see his vulnerability and fear in between his shows of bravado. He is a little kid trying to be a big man. But you can also see how troubled he is. At several points he flies into fits of rage, screaming at the psychologist, blaming others for his being in the position he is in, cleaning the table they're sitting at with a swipe and a shove, and throwing his chair across the room. The psychologist, basically a foil for Owen's acting, remains externally calm, trying to be firm with the kid and maintain order and control of the situation. But her eyes betray both the fear and horror she feels at watching Jamie go through his emotional cycles through the conversation. Extremely powerful, extremely compelling, like a roadside tragedy you cannot look away from, yet feel discomforted watching. And at the episode's end, we feel we share the psychologist devastation and exhaustion.

Then finally comes Episode 4. This episode focuses on the family left behind while their son is detained at the facility. It has been just over a year, and the strain is starting to show. There are things that happen outside that we are able to see the aftermath of, and this pushes the strain felt by the family to the brink. This could be the most emotional scene (aside from Jamie's tantrums in the previous episode) as the parents examine their raising of their son. The father questions whether he may have passed his own temper on to his kid (as his own father may have passed it down to him), and both parents questioning whether they were a good mum and dad. This is where they each earn their respective Emmys, and their performances are solid. But I found this to be the weakest of the four episodes. The bulk of the action takes place out of doors, leaving only the last few minutes to take on its claustrophobic feel. Had it all been done inside, it could have been move effective, but the events that take place off screen dictate action being taken outdoors. Overall the scene is anticlimactic. Yes, the story needs a denouement, and the respective reactions of the family members to Jamie's announcement of a decision he has made are palpable, but perhaps this could have been done another way. The devastation of the family in the end is paramount to the scene.

A final criticism. While the girl who is the central victim in the story is mentioned several times, she is more or less forgotten, save for a self-referential passage bemoaning the fact that the victims of crimes are generally left out while the perpetrators are central to the conversation. The effect of the crime on the other students and on the other families is largely overlooked and never really explored. Even the effects on the police handling the case is mostly ignored other than them just "doing their jobs". And while the overall story is told with its beginning, middle, and end, the episodic feel of the four individual episodes deprives the whole of cohesion.

All that being said, it was compelling television. The single take/real time nature of the storytelling was interesting (but also a little distracting) and did give most of the show an omniscient perspective and somewhat claustrophobic feel. Overall, well done, but not perfect.

Different kind of a Holocaust movie. It's sweet and sad, centering around a 94 year old woman who has just lost her best friend and moves from her Florida retirement community to Manhattan to live with her daughter and grandson. Soon after she meets a group of holocaust survivors and feels compelled to tell a story. The story/lie kind of takes on a life of its own and eventually gets out of hand with potentially tragic effect.

It's a small movie, a little bittersweet in its execution and end, but in the end somewhat slow and drab. The acting is generally very good. June Squibb is charming as she always is. A little more depth of character might have garnered her some Oscar consideration, but this performance would be a stretch.

If you have nothing else to do, it's not a waste of time.

I saw this at a "blind" sneak peek last night. Was debating whether to go, but it was "revealed" early that it was Relay, so based on the previews I'd seen decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did.

This was well and cleverly written. Some might be bored by some of the repetitiveness of some of the scenes, the main character's methodological preparations for everything he did to protect his client (and to keep order in his own life - you'll understand why when you see the movie). And the repetitiveness all makes sense as the movie comes together.

The acting is excellent. Have always loved the two main players, Riz Ahmed and Lily James. While not an "action" movie in the traditional sense of the word, I would still consider this to be in the "thriller" category. The tension is often palpable, the cat and mouse quite clever. And the twistiness towards the end is both surprising and fun.

Despite it's thriller-ish attitude, it is also a fairly small, quiet movie. There is little dialog other than conversation through the Tri-State Relay System, which gives much of that dialog an almost robotic feeling. But it works, and actually adds to the tension.

I won't give anything away. To do so would spoil the fun. This one is worthwhile.