Last night we watched half of "Barbie."
I know, I know, I'm late to the party. But I wasn't going to the theatre to see the movie and when it finally appeared on Max...I was just never in the right mood. Generally speaking, I like my viewing experience dark. Especially at the end of the day. I don't want to be enlivened, I want more of a visceral experience, something more cerebral. But last night after bowing out on "The Kitchen" (a Netflix movie that got great critics' reviews, but a lousy audience number), which was slow and never seemed to speed up, I pulled up "Barbie."
And I had trouble staying awake. You see I had a Covid rebound. Tested positive, the whole thing. Started about a week ago. And yesterday I was so so tired. But I was enjoying the picture when I turned it off halfway through, but Felice disagreed, she didn't get it.
And then I saw Pamela Paul's piece in the "Times":
"'Barbie' Is Bad. There, I Said It."
Free link: t.ly/3Wtsm
And then I started to re-evaluate. Prior to viewing I was on the team that said Greta Gerwig was unfairly denied an Oscar nomination. I'm a huge fan of her work, especially in the old Mumblecore days. I mean I laughed out loud, a number of times, but was this flick appealing more to my head than my heart? In other words, did I love the points the film was making or was it a great viewing experience? If it had been better would I have made it through last night?
But prior to "Barbie," prior to "The Kitchen," we finished "Boy Swallows Universe." I was champing at the bit to watch the concluding episode, which was fifteen minutes longer than those that preceded it, but I was stunned, it was so predictable. If I'd written this before I saw it I'd be giving a rave. But now...
Well, my main criterion for visual entertainment is that it not only hold my interest, but do so to the point where my mind doesn't drift, doesn't think about things outside the film or series I am watching. And "Boy Swallows Universe" hits this note. Maybe my mind wandered a bit during the first episode, maybe I hadn't quite calmed down from my day, but after that...
What we've got here is a lower middle class (well, that's being charitable) family in suburban Australia, outside of Brisbane. And if you've been to Australia, you know it's more of a relaxed culture, one step beyond Southern California. In other words, everybody's wearing shorts, all the time. (Well, not really, but you get the point.) So the vibe of the show is different from American shows...and European shows. It's kind of like when I was staring out at the ocean in Manly. Next stop the South Pole! (Well, my geography wasn't that good, more like New Zealand). In other words, this is far far away. As that Little River Band song goes, twelve thousand miles from Las Vegas.
So ultimately "Boy Swallows Universe" is about drug dealing.
Then again, it's more of the aftermath of drug dealing.
But what you've got here is two boys who are jostled, pushed out of their already chaotic life after the authorities get involved.
And they've got an agoraphobic alcoholic father who is divorced from their mother and has ended up on the dole.
And there are a few stars, though I don't want to give anything away.
But the center of the show is Eli Bell, aged thirteen, portrayed by Felix Cameron. His performance is so real, so true, that it makes the show worth viewing all in itself.
Eli is small, and bullied. But he's intelligent, and not always sophisticated. And he's got a charming smile. And he wants to stand up for what's right, but those experienced with law enforcement advise against this course of behavior.
And now I want to tell you more, but I don't want to give anything away. I want you to be surprised. Not that all the surprises are jaw-dropping (although one certainly is), but if I tell you who's in it, some of the plot points, it'll undercut the viewing experience.
So "Boy Swallows Universe" is visceral, but at times funny. The atmosphere is sunny, but sometimes what is happening is bleak. The plot points are not always predictable, until that unfortunate final episode. The RottenTomatoes numbers are 83/87.
I love to tell you about slam dunk shows, stuff you must see, that will stick with you, that could change your life. Some of it very innovative. I can't say that "Boy Swallows Universe" is a ten on an absolute scale. But in truth, almost nobody uses an absolute scale anymore. They tell you stuff is a ten, positively great, and it's oftentimes not even a seven.
I mean if you want blue chip, watch the first two seasons of "Happy Valley." And all of "Spiral." And "A French Village." And "The Bureau." "Boy Swallows Universe" is not quite in their league, but it's miles beyond the dreck the algorithm will otherwise tell you to watch. And the stuff that is featured on the home screen that has the imprimatur of greatness until you do a bit of research.
Not that "Boy Swallows Universe" is obscure. The algorithm might actually suggest it to you.
My e-mail started to buzz, that's why I checked it out.
And now I'm passing the recommendation on to you.
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