The Cry

I finished watching The Cry yesterday and am still shaking my head. In so many ways it's an awesome watch and was hard not to binge-watch. It's extremely engrossing in large part due to the presence of and performance of Jenna Coleman. She is both gorgeous and an incredible actor. The other leads were also excellent: Ewen Leslie, Asher Keddie, and Stella Gonet. These actors, along with an excellent script, created some fine TV watching. So why didn't I give it a 10? Because it was also at times disjointed and confusing. Because the story was shown in repeated flashbacks it was often unclear when the action was taking place. Perhaps that was intentional? Maybe the confusion was intended to increase the distress I already felt from the story itself. Regardless, I intend to watch it again as often a second viewing clarifies things missed first time around. I'm also wondering about the title. Other than the baby crying a lot, why this title? Then again, the baby's incessant crying does have a possibly larger meaning in the course of the plot, and in that context is understandable.

I'm not sure there are very many actors that could have navigated the roller coaster of emotions as deftly as Jenna Coleman did in the role of Joanna. She never missed a beat, consistent with any role she has inhabited. My only criticism of this series is the slow, sometimes plodding, pace of the storytelling. The twists and turns lose their tension when the pace allows the audience to solve the mysteries before they are revealed. The power of this piece is not in the storytelling but in the subtleties of the performances, especially Jenna Coleman, Asher Keddie and Stella Gonet. They convey the narrative more effectively than the dialogue. Be patient, this is a good watch. I give this limited series an 8 (great performances) out of 10. {Mystery Drama}

I just watched the first 3 episodes today and WOW! Such a good show!!! Great twist in episode 3 that I didn't see coming. It seriously is fantastic! The actors are all great and it has a really solid plot, I'm gonna have to go buy the book and read it! You get hooked from the first episode.

Bit dubious before I watched the first episode but soon got me interested and curious. Bit of a similar Maddie situation but has its own story to tell. Love the interaction between Scotland and Australia and all the actors play their role well. Well worth the effort.

The Cry wasn't given a huge deal of publicity, it kind of got lost amongst snappier dramas, such as Bodyguard, and Killing Eve. It deals with a pretty sad story, it's gritty, intriguing, moving, and does a great job making you feel things. As you watch you feel pity, hatred and justice, it's cleverly played out. Coleman's performance is very, very good, as it progresses it makes sense why she is how she is.

If I'm being honest, I'd say it feels padded at times, they could have perhaps condensed it into three hour parts, or two ninety minute parts, to make it a little snappier.

Overall it's very good, very moving. 8/10