kgoodin9

Because of all the hype, I went into this expecting to be disappointed. I was not disappointed.

This is seriously powerful. It's not perfect but it's close. The acting is uniformly phenomenal, with standout performances by Owen Cooper, Erin Doherty, and Stephen Graham. The single take approach was super effective, capturing the roller coaster of emotions and heightening the intensity of the storyline.

I would like to have seen a little more about the friends, especially Jade and Ryan. But I also think not knowing is part of what makes this story so powerful. We don't have a good understanding of what these kids experience, what their lives are like at home, the depth and intensity of the peer pressure they feel.

Episode 3 is flawless. I'll be thinking about that one for a long time, from both a narrative point of view and a technical one. The setting - a cluttered, disused storage room - speaks volumes.

I watched this series on BritBox. It was included in the listing for 35 Diwrnod (I initially thought it was season 4 of that series, but season 4 is not included for some reason).

This series has the same premise as 35 Diwrnod, but there are 35 hours instead of days. Technically, it's fine. The acting is ok, sets are ok, direction and editing are ok, etc.

As with 35 Diwrnod, most of the characters are pretty unlikeable, but they aren't as over the top awful. It struck me as soap opera-ish, and I wasn't a fan. The storyline felt convoluted, and there were a few too many convenient coincidences. And the ending was terrible.

I watched seasons 1-3 on BritBox. They don't have season 4 right now - in its place was 35 Awr (35 Hours, listed separately on IMDB). I didn't have any trouble reading the subtitles. They are white, with a narrow black outline.

I totally enjoyed seasons one and three. The premise is fun - you know the end right from the start, and subsequent episodes unravel the who and why. Red herrings, unexpected twists, and lots of unreal drama make these seasons a lot of fun to watch. 99% of the characters are terrible people who do awful things, which makes for interesting storytelling but might be a drag if you're not in the mindset for it.

Season two was a mess, IMO. It took several episodes for me to figure out what the heck was going on. There were too many characters and too many overlapping storylines to keep track of and the ending was lousy. The seasons aren't connected in any way so you can easily skip season 2.