Adapting true-crime books into TV dramas has been a trend in Hollywood for quite a few years. We’ve seen a lot of truly well-made ones while some of the others were misfires. Well, I’m happy to report that Hulu’s latest True-Crime miniseries based on the book of the same name by Rebecca Godfrey falls in the former category.
The miniseries is developed by Quinn Shepherd and Godfrey herself was also actively involved in the development of the show. It stars Riley Keough, Lily Gladstone, Archie Panjabi, Izzy G, Chloe Guidry, Anoop Desai, Ezra Khan, and Javon Walton among others. It also has an impressive roster of directors on board that includes names like Geeta Patel, Catherine Hardwicke, and Kevin Phillips. The story follows the brutal murder of Reena Virk, a 14-year-old teenage girl in Saanich, British Columbia in 1997.
Vritika Gupta plays Reena Virk, an angry young woman full of rebellious energy trying to fit in with Josephine Bell (Chloe Guidry), a John Gotti-obsessed foster kid, and her minions Kelly Ellard (Izzy G) and Dusty Pace (Aiyana Goodfellow). After several failed attempts she is finally booted out of the group and an enraged Reena starts to spread rumors about Joe to get revenge. Joe and her minions decide to teach her a lesson and invite her to a party under the bridge on the night of November 14, 1997, and Reena never returned home after that.
One thing that Shepherd and her writers do particularly well is that they avoid the temptation to go the whodunnit route. The show never falls into that trap and mostly steers away from trying to become a formulaic murder mystery. It genuinely tries to be much more than that. Under The Bridge is not just the story of Reena Virk and how she was murdered, but it is the story of loneliness, loss, and most importantly dissects how one misjudgment from someone can ruin multiple lives forever.
Apart from Reena, the story finds its protagonists in Cam Bentlend (Lily Gladstone), a local cop, and Rebecca Godfrey (Riley Keough), a writer returning to her hometown to write a book about Victoria’s girls. Keough and Gladstone are two very talented performers and they deliver strong acts throughout the course of the series, although neither of them are particularly spectacular or give career-best performances. To be fair to them, their respective characters could also have been more fleshed out.
All the directors do a great job bringing out the best out of most of their actors, particularly the young ones. With a subject and plot that is emotionally heavy and unsettling at times, it is paramount that the actor convinces the viewer that he or she is dealing with a lot internally and externally, and the cast successfully does so. Each and every cast member has scenes where they get to shine and take the spotlight.
The highlight performances come from Chloe Guidry, Aiyana Goodfellow and one Javon Walton, who might be a familiar face for Euphoria fans. Although you might struggle to recognize him, not because he’s grown up a little, but because of the character he’s playing. Let’s just say that Warren G is completely opposite of what Ashtray was like. But one of my biggest issues with the storytelling was the fact that at one point the focus shifts too much onto other characters including Warren G, rather than being about getting justice for Reena.
The writing for most part is solid, but it lacks character depth and context in situations where it was needed most. The storytelling is generally fast paced and the episodes are just the right length. But they do not end on cliffhangers and at times takes very predictable and generic routes in its narrative. Despite all these issues, the story hits emotional notes and hits hard more often than not.
Under The Bridge is a bleak and hard hitting reminder of how fear of loneliness and rejection can lead to cruel actions and bring brutal consequences. It brings complex character dynamics, relatable issues but is slightly tangled in its messaging. It introduces us to a bright group of young actors who show the potential to be big stars. It is not an easy watch and raises more questions than it answers, but definitely one that engrosses the viewer with its characters and their struggles.
Under The Bridge will premiere on Hulu on April 17 and will air weekly until May 29.
