Big Little Lies
2017
Original language: English
- drama
The story
The tale of three mothers of first graders whose apparently perfect lives unravel to the point of murder.
What it’s like
Sun-washed Monterey coastline shot in bright, expensive daylight, with glossy seaside houses, pale linen and ocean blues that look almost too clean, then cut against cooler, shadowed interiors where the cracks show. The camera lingers on faces in tight close-ups and moves in restless handheld bursts during confrontations, while a bright, tinkling piano and folk-pop score gives way to sudden silence. Cozy surface, creeping dread: a glossy, sun-bleached unease that suits a binge over a long weekend or an evening on the couch with a glass of wine. The pacing is brisk and gossipy, with flashbacks and interview-style cutaways that keep the mysteries turning. Its intensity is real and not gentle: domestic abuse is shown in painful, sustained detail, there are sexual assault scenes and their aftermath, and the threat of violence runs under most episodes, with a death at the centre. The emotional register swings from sharp comedy to grief and rage, and the women's arcs move from guarded performance toward open defiance and solidarity. Made for viewers who want glamorous, character-driven drama about marriage, motherhood and the lies women tell to survive, and who can sit with harsh material.
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