lorriebeauchamp

Just binge-watched this show on Netflix, and loved how well it dealt with relationships on and off the job - certainly the Bailey character stretches the limits of credibility, but for some reason, it works, and by the end of Series 3, you find yourself rooting for her, hoping that she works out the dysfunctional kinks in her personality.

I agree with other reviewers that the show is not kind to men - and it exaggerates the influence of women, in my opinion. Both female leads(boss Gill is a real scene-stealer, she ended up being my favourite)are decidedly not in the same realm as those who come from Hollywood's casting couch. Having been conditioned by the stiletto- heeled sex kittens featured in most US-based shows, I found myself having trouble seeing the Scott character as the alluring person the role was intended for, with men stalking her and wanting to be with her at any cost. Really?

So, yeah - smart, supposedly-irresistible women coppers, unimpressive, over-reactive and not-so-smart male colleagues... perhaps the show is a bit guilty of exaggerated stereotyping, but at least the pendulum swings us into exploring women as problem-solvers, and good ones at that.

I don't pretend to know the inner realm of performance art; each creative genre has its own secret system of valuation. What struck me most about Marina as an artist in general, though, is her ability to rise above everything and dedicate herself to the truth as she sees it.

It is incredibly difficult to sit and look directly into someone's eyes, whether a stranger or your most intimate partner. Most of us go days without doing this; try it yourself and see (pun intended). There was no doubt a significant exchange of oxytocin (a feel-good hormone) between her and the hundreds of thousands of people who sat across from her and partook in the social experiment (in fact, it seemed to me to be more of a social experiment than performance art, but again, that's just labels). I don't think anyone would argue that there was a lot of mental energy being exchanged, and as we learn more about the brain through ongoing studies, I'm sure we'll realize that this artist is tapping into a futuristic version of ourselves communicating by energy and emotions only.

It also seemed very "zen" to me, and I noticed that at least one of her visitors was a Buddhist. In essence, she was performing a form of sitting meditation, and the three-day retreat that she insisted on for her fellow performance artists was very close to the spiritual practises of eastern philosophy.

I found the documentary very moving, startlingly refreshing, and a wonderful profile of a courageous, dedicated artist who is a true soul- seeker. The only critical comment I have is that I thought the other artists - the ones who valiantly took on her past tasks and who spent an equal number of hours being "tortured" into stillness - did not get much acclaim at the conclusion of the documentary. Bravo to all of them!

In conclusion, a documentary well worth watching, a woman worthy of our admiration, and an art perhaps emergent in its influences over society.