Based on the acclaimed novel from Renee Right, Alfonso Cuaron wrote and directs all episodes of Apple TV+’s intriguing dark drama, Disclaimer. Told in seven distinct chapters, Disclaimer‘s psychological narrative weaves together themes of deception, trauma, and family secrets. At the center is a riveting turn from Cate Blanchett, whose powerful emotional display practically ensures an Emmy nomination in her near future. Set across multiple timelines, the story unravels the lives of its troubled characters, centering on Catherine (Blanchett), a documentary filmmaker whose reputation could be in serious trouble. A secretly-penned book, The Perfect Stranger, exposes an explosive secret from Catherine’s past that threatens to alter the trajectory of her life forever. A true ensemble piece overflowing with lush visuals and excellent performances, Disclaimer begins as a slow-burn but evolves into a complex, deeply satisfying experience.
How can a novel drudge up so much of the past while proclaiming, “any resemblance to persons living or dead is not a coincidence?” Picking up from multiple different perspectives, we mainly follow old and young Catherine (Blanchett and Leila George), her deceased lover, Jonathan (Louis Partridge), her husband (Sacha Baron Cohen), her son, Nicholas (Kodi Smit-McPhee), and disgraced teacher Stephen (Kevin Kline). Catherine must track down the author of a book strictly set out to destroy her. A third-person perspective in the narration allows for a novel-like approach. Indira Varma voices the narrator, taking an up-close recollection of the characters’s respective emotional states. That aspect in particular does take some getting used to, as the disparate timelines can be a little overwhelming at first glance. However, only the initial set of episodes seem overstuffed. Answers to the many various questions are as morally murky as one would expect; each near-hour of television culminates in a crescendo of ideas, with chapter IV being a turning point for the events set in the past.
Cuaron’s unique style compliments the unsettling exploration of power dynamics. Catherine’s character through both depictions remains the anchor, with her decision-making being cause for equal parts frustration and titillation. Leila George killed it as young Smurf in TNT’s Animal Kingdom, and again plays a younger version of an older character with a teasing compassion. Catherine’s relationship with Jonathan is the key to unlocking everything, too; Partridge excels in his deepest role to date, whilst showing plenty of skin in the process. Louis Partridge seems destined to become a favorite young adult actor. Disclaimer being such a sexually-charged series results in explicit material that may make the sex-scene-averse recoil in disgust—personally, I felt a bit of Cuaron returning to his Y Tu Mamá También roots. A real surprise for me was Kline, whose despicable villain feels dangerous and unusual. Each actor has their time to shine in the spotlight, including McPhee’s Nicholas in the riveting final few episodes.
A haunting and sometimes ambiguous narrative challenges the viewer’s perception of reality and memory. While this may initially seem surface level, anyone familiar with Cuaron’s work should know that he does not specialize in simplicity. This time, laser-focusing on generational trauma and the power of the pen, Cuaron soars to new heights. Part romance and part weighty drama, the raw emotion bleeds out from the page and seeps into the ferocious performances of the cast. Coupled with breathtaking cinematography from Bruno Delbonnel and Emmanuel Lubezki and a sharp script, Disclaimer is practically irresistible.
Despite its obvious Disclaimer, don’t miss this extraordinary slow-burn when it debuts exclusively to Apple TV+ on Friday, October 11th.
