The Girl Before
If you’ve ever longed to live in a pristine new house entirely devoid of clutter, you might think again after watching this four-part psychological thriller adapted from a novel by JP Delaney.
Taking place in two different time frames, in the cleverly constructed, intriguing, opening episode we meet young couple Emma (Jessica Plummer) and Simon (Ben Hardy) who move into a stylish new-build “smart” property after going through a rigorous selection process by the enigmatic architect and owner, Edward Monkford (David Oyelowo). The couple have to agree to a whole list of rules which include not putting up any pictures on the walls, having only a certain number of items in the wardrobe and so on, in keeping with the minimalist aesthetic. They also have to allow their data to be collected by Monkford and his team. In return, they get to live in the house rent-free.
In the second timeline, we meet new tenant Jane (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), who has also agreed to all the terms set by Monkford and is surprised to learn that it has been three years since anyone has lived in the house. She also discovers that one of the previous tenants, a young woman, died in the house.
All sorts of alarm bells should be ringing, of course, especially since Jane and Emma bear a strong resemblance to each other and – it transpires – also to Monkford’s late wife who died in an accident at a nearby construction site...
Plausibility isn’t high on the agenda here but, as long as you are prepared to suspend disbelief, it really doesn’t matter. Go with the flow and enjoy it for what it is – a gripping story, very well told.