By Connie Lee August 30, 2024
2024 has been a big year for book adaptations on both big and small screens, and Alfonso Cuarón’s 'Disclaimer' is the latest to hit all the right notes. With an ensemble cast, vast, thought-provoking themes, and beautiful cinematography that follows a scandalous, non-linear plot, this psychological thriller is as dangerous as it is grand and indulgent. 'Disclaimer' is a rarity that doesn’t feel like television – it’s a cinematic experience.
Synopsis
Based on the bestselling book of the same name by Renee Knight, 'Disclaimer' follows award-winning journalist, Catherine Ravenscroft (Cate Blanchett), who is forced to confront her darkest secrets when a book about her past is published. While she tries to figure out the writer’s identity, her life, work, and relationships start unravelling and falling apart as the book gets into the hands of those closest to her.
Review
Right off the bat, Cuarón is blunt and doesn’t hesitate to let viewers know that most of the characters aren’t worth liking. He doesn’t waste time building sweeping back stories but instead expands on their flaws, letting their fronts crack little by little until their worst parts (selfishness, greed, jealousy, etc.) can’t be ignored any longer. Though their pasts matter, how they are in the present speaks even louder, and this becomes clearer in the second half as perspectives change. It leads us to question how much their actions were genuinely motivated by Catherine’s secrets or not.
The tonal shift between the first and second half of the series is subtle but is invasive and overwhelming once it’s realized. The first half transcends time. All of the events feel surreal; They’re spread apart but close together at the same time, and happiness, grief, and anger are meshed into one with no distinctions. Everything that occurs is a blur, and there might be a chance that it was all just a bad dream. But, the second half is purely a dark, hellish reality. Any idyllic and beautiful qualities are gone, and what’s left can only be seen with death-coloured glasses. This is all very emotionally taxing, and some viewers might find themselves having to take breaks like I did.
Initially, my only piece of criticism was that the most significant point of the transgression featured in the book was getting lost, and the characters were focused on the wrong things a lot of the time. This didn’t make sense as they seemed too aware and sharp to let this happen. But it all came together once the final big twist happened, and I could only sum this up in four words: Presumptuousness comes with privilege. More than once, class differences are compared in 'Disclaimer' , with the assumed more fortunate (Catherine, her husband, etc.) passing judgment on the working class and being quite insolent about it. But it’s Catherine’s colleagues, family, and those she holds to a higher standard who feel entitled to condemn her with only the fragments they have. No matter their profession, wealth, or education level, their arrogance takes over, and they’re willing to bring her down quickly. This ultimately makes them much worse than the Average Joes they’re looking down on, but they’ll never see that.
As far as psychological thrillers go, 'Disclaimer' is the entire package. The memories, grief, and exploration of the ugliest parts of human emotions and characteristics combined with Cuarón’s fantastic eye for visual details make for something fascinating but very exhausting and unsatisfying (in the best way) because there’s so much more to it than what can be taken in during an initial run-through. Cuarón has created a piece of art that will still burn through you long after it ends, and obsessing over something this dangerous has never felt so good.
Star Rating
'Disclaimer' episodes 1 & 2 release October 11, subsequent episodes release weekly
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