‘The Cry’ views couple’s tragedy from many angles
“The Cry” is maddening. The four-hour, four-episode miniseries streaming on Sundance Now stars Jenna Coleman (“Victoria,” “Doctor Who”) as Joanna, a Glasgow grade school teacher and new mother overwhelmed by her baby.
The 3-month-old, Noah, somehow manages to fit in about 45 hours of shrieking in any given day. Joanna is sleep-deprived and stressed, and her boyfriend, Alistair (Ewen Leslie, “Top of the Lake: China Girl”), a spin doctor for a political party, is about as helpful as a rock around the house. Alistair is a man who expects to be the most important person in his family and is determined to get his way, especially when it comes to his ex-wife, Alexandria (Asher Keddie). She left Scotland for their native Australia with their 14-year-old daughter, Chloe (Markella Kavenagh), after the two interrupted Alistair and Joanna in bed. Now Alistair wants to return with Joanna to his small hometown and sue for full custody of Chloe.
“She’s had her for long enough. It’s only fair we get her,” Alistair says. When he makes a decision, everyone has to go along for the ride.
The 30-hour flight is a nightmare. Noah won’t stop crying. Joanna faces down angry passengers who wish she would hush her baby already.
After they arrive in Alistair’s hometown, the family takes a trip to a convenience store. Alistair goes in; a moment later, Joanna remembers something and goes in as well. But when they come out ...
I’ve probably said far more than Sundance Now would like me to reveal.
But if you think you know where this story is going, you’re probably wrong.
As a media circus circles Joanna, secrets are revealed that change your perceptions of the characters and what exactly is at stake.
The series, based on the bestseller of the same name by Helen Fitzgerald, features several skips in time that can be disorienting. Even worse, it revisits scenes you’ve already witnessed.
There’s a method to this madness, and it cribs from Gillian Flynn’s (“Gone Girl”) stylebook in that you can’t trust anyone’s narrative. The accumulation of details leads to startling, horrific realizations. The couple’s rather mundane arrival at a cottage is actually a tragic turning point. An innocuous screensaver on a phone reveals a devastating truth. The release of a seatbelt is a prelude to homicide.
Coleman’s Joanna is alternately grieving or glassy-
eyed and then yet utterly poised as a woman finding her peace — or winning retribution. She is matched by Leslie, who mines humanity in a selfish man. The supporting cast is good, including Stella Gonet as Elizabeth, Alistair’s mother, whose kindness is a deliberate choice, and Sophie Kennedy Clark as Kirsty, a onetime party pal of Joanna’s who offers unexpected reservoirs of strength.
“Of all the things that can happen to a person, there’s few things that can be worse. Can you think of any?” Joanna comments to someone.
“The Cry” finds horrors everywhere.