The main thing that I took from "Big Little Lies" is that we lead screwed-up existences. The protagonists have what look like the ideal lives, but it becomes clear that something is amiss. Whether it's a lack of fulfillment or something worse, all three are living a lie. The story gets told as a series of interviews to let the viewer know that the action is building up to something big.
I wouldn't call this the best miniseries that HBO has made (remember, this is the channel that gave us "The Sopranos" and "Game of Thrones"), but serves as a good look at the problems that arise when we try to ignore the simmering tensions amid a supposedly perfect world. The morally complex characters make this a series for the ages. Not to mention that it's a treat to see Reese Witherspoon play a role markedly different from the ones with which she's usually associated. And as someone who went to grad school in Monterey, it was neat to see some of my old haunts.
I recommend it, and I hope to read the book, and that Jean-Marc Vallée (of "Dallas Buyers Club" and "Wild") keeps turning out work like this.
I wouldn't call this the best miniseries that HBO has made (remember, this is the channel that gave us "The Sopranos" and "Game of Thrones"), but serves as a good look at the problems that arise when we try to ignore the simmering tensions amid a supposedly perfect world. The morally complex characters make this a series for the ages. Not to mention that it's a treat to see Reese Witherspoon play a role markedly different from the ones with which she's usually associated. And as someone who went to grad school in Monterey, it was neat to see some of my old haunts.
I recommend it, and I hope to read the book, and that Jean-Marc Vallée (of "Dallas Buyers Club" and "Wild") keeps turning out work like this.