Disclaimer

^{Review by AJ}

In his first foray into television series, Oscar-winning filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron teams up with Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett for an adaptation of a novel by Renée Knight. Powerhouse acting, lavish production values, and intricate conflicts bolster this melodrama about a well-respected journalist who must confront her own sordid past. 

Said documentary journalist, Catherine Ravenscroft (Blanchett), holds a reputation as a hardliner when it comes to her subjects. Yet, one day, she receives a copy of a novel detailing her fatal encounter with a young man years ago. From there, Catherine’s life begins to unravel as she is forced to contend with what happened back then on a holiday in Italy. On the other side of the equation is Stephen Brigstocke (Kevin Kline), the father of the dead young man, Jonathan (Louis Partridge), who’s now hell bent on wrecking Catherine’s life. 

The story unfolds breezily like the pages of a novel, with back-and-forth timelines examining the past that is haunting the characters in the present. The heartbreak and tragedy unspool slowly, recounting years of Catherine’s duplicity that not only hurt a naive young boy and his parents, but also her own family. As always, Blanchett displays a masterclass of acting as a woman on the verge of reckoning. Like her character in Tar, she plays someone so gullible, vulnerable and complex - always alternating between her better and worse impulses that betrays her composed facade.  

It goes without saying that Disclaimer is overflowing with acting giants. Blanchett is obviously the marquee star, but she is also surrounded by a superb ensemble elevating her performance. Sacha Baron Cohen for once sidesteps his comical side to showcase dramatic chops as Catherine’s devoted but underappreciated husband.

Kline and Lesley Manville are heartbreaking as Jonathan’s parents, devastated beyond repair by their son’s death and seeking retribution. Partridge is luminous and haunting, the picture of a bright soul taken too soon. Kodi Smit-McPhee as Catherine’s distant son Nicholas is a pawn in the game the adults play, but he pulls his weight acting out Nicholas’ fragile but quietly angry young man. 

Disclaimer is a story about cancel culture, particularly how the past comes back to haunt you in many surprising ways, like it does for so many powerful figures of the last decade. Tragedy and accountability, when they don’t immediately take effect, unravels in more brutal ways after resentment has taken roots for so long. Cuaron, who also wrote the script, explores this with such panache. The price of truth, as Catherine would find out, is on inflation as is everything else. 

Though it’s such a tough subject matter, you won’t be able to look away. One look at the series and you immediately get swept by its lushly cinematic cinematography - courtesy of Cuaron’s Oscar-calibre frequent collaborator Emmanuel Lubeszki alongside Bruno Delbonnel, also an Oscar-nominated cinematographer who previously worked with the Coen Brothers, Tim Burton, and Joe Wright. Add to that the subtle but fine contribution of Finneas O'Connell – yes, Billie Eilish’s brother – in the score, and its depiction of posh English lifestyle with its gorgeous home and stylish outfits, the series feels so pleasant to savour. 

Indeed, AppleTV+ never disappoints when it comes to delivering first-rate production values. It’s just that they sometimes forget to propel their wonderful offerings to the general public’s attention. Well, let this be your reminder to catch one of this year’s best series – no disclaimer needed.