Unbelievable (a miniseries in eight parts) is a
crime drama set in the US (and based on a true story) which premiered on
Netflix in 2019.
A young woman (Marie Adler) reports a rape. But the two
male detectives who take her statement do not believe her. They say her account
is unbelievable. Hence the title of the series.
Here is some basic information about the series:
** Created by Susannah Grant, Ayelet Waldman and
Michael Chabon
** Based on the 2015 article “An Unbelievable Story of
Rape” by T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong; later expanded into a book with
the title: A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America (2018)
Run time: 8 x ca. 45 minutes = ca. 360 minutes
The cast includes the following:
** Kaitlyn Dever as Marie Adler – a young woman who
reports a rape (Marie Adler is a pseudonym)
** Toni Colette as detective Grace Rasmussen (inspired
by Edna Hendershot)
** Merritt Wever as detective Karen Duvall (inspired
by Stacy Galbraith)
Eric Lange as detective Parker (inspired by sergeant
Jeffrey Mason)
** Bill Fagerbakke as detective Pruitt (inspired by
sergeant Jerry Ritgarn)
** Elizabeth Marvel as Judith – previously Marie’s
foster mom
** Bridget Everett as Colleen Doggett – previously
Marie’s foster mom
When Marie Adler reports a rape, a police officer
comes to her apartment to take her statement. Marie says an unknown man broke
into her place and raped her. But there is no trace of an intruder.
Later, two male detectives arrive: Parker and Pruitt. They also ask her
to give a statement. When this is done, they tell her to go to the police
station the next day to give a formal statement. The next day she goes to the
police station and gives a formal statement. So far, she has told her story
three times.
Marie did not have an easy life. She did not grow up
with her parents. She has lived in different foster homes with different foster
moms. She is still close to one of them. When she talks to her, she tells her
about the rape and the subsequent events. By now, she has told her story four
times.
While the foster mom likes Marie, she has a feeling
that there is something wrong with her account. The feeling will not go away,
so the foster mom decides to go to the police and talk to the detectives about it.
She suspects Marie is making this whole thing up. Maybe there was no intruder?
Maybe there was no rape?
The detectives understand what the foster mom says. In
fact, they feel the same way. Marie is asked to come to the police station for
one more interview. During this interview, the detectives ask some hard
questions about her account. They point out that she did not tell exactly the
same story each time. Faced with these tough questions, Marie recants. She says
there was no intruder. There was no rape.
At this point the interview is over. Marie can go
home. But the case is not over. The detectives are annoyed with Marie. They
feel she has wasted their time by filing a false report. They decide to use a
rule which is not used often. This rule says that wasting police time is a
crime for which you may be punished. The detectives want to teach Marie a lesson.
They charge her with wasting police time and filing a false report.
Before Marie was the victim of a crime. Now she is a
criminal who has committed a crime. Her world begins to fall apart.
This is how the series begins: a young woman reports a
rape, but after a tough interview with two male detectives she recants.
What is the truth? Was there an intruder? Was there a
rape? Or did the whole thing only happen in Marie’s head?
Marie claims she was raped, but there is no trace of
an intruder and she is not very convincing when she tells her story. The
detectives are certain they are dealing with a false report.
Who is right? Is Marie telling the truth or is she
lying? Are the detectives right when they say this is a false report, or are
they just unwilling to take the case seriously?
The viewer is confused. It is not easy to know where
the truth lies in this case. Marie is not a good witness; she is not
convincing. But does this mean that she is lying?
To find the answer you must watch the whole series all
the way to the end. As the drama moves forward, two female detectives are
introduced: Grace Rasmussen and Karen Duvall.
New facts are discovered. New
facts about Marie’s case and about other cases. The new facts are the key to
solving the puzzle. When you get to the end of the series, you will get the
answers you have been waiting for since the first episode.
What do reviewers say about this drama? Here are the
results of three review aggregators:
83 per cent = Meta
84 per cent = IMDb
89 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)
98 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes (the critics)
As you can see, the ratings are quite good. When you
look at Rotten Tomatoes, you can see that there is a difference between the
general audience and the professional critics. The audience has some
reservations, although they like it. The critics have no reservations. They are
prepared to go all the way to the top.
In this case I have to side with the critics. Why?
** The script is well-written and the actors play
their roles well.
** The story is captivating, dramatic and often highly
emotional.
** The series is based on a true story.
I want to follow the critics and go all the way to the
top. This drama deserves a rating of five stars (100 per cent).
PS. The following item is available online: Mahita Gajanan, "The True Story Behind the Netflix Series Unbelievable," TIME, 12 September 2019.
*****
The cover of the book about the case
(published in 2018)
*****
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