Sharp Objects (2018)
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Sharp Objects Review
Sharp Objects is a 2018 psychological thriller miniseries starring Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson that premiered on HBO. It’s a very well made, but overly depressing show.
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“Don’t tell momma“
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It follows Camille Preaker, an emotionally troubled reporter who returns to her hometown to cover the murders of two young girls. My main problem with this miniseries is that it’s too damn depressing and way too slow. It has eight episodes, but it felt longer watching them as they are very sluggish and the first half is quite uneventful. The second half thankfully became more interesting and much more intense.
The show deals with PTSD and trauma and it’s very important in its tackling of those issues. Some of the scenes are horrific and also quite tragic. The problem here is that the series is also quite sensational in at times tackling these issues in the most artificial thriller ways possible just to wring more shock and horror from the viewers.
The mystery element is strong at first, but eventually when you get to realize who committed the murders, you do not care. I certainly didn’t as the show forsook those elements in favor of character-driven drama focusing on the protagonist’s mental issues. Again, that was very well done, but I wanted more of those mystery crime elements.
Amy Adams killed it here. She is just an incredible actress and this is actually one of her best performances. It was a hugely difficult role, yet she still managed to pull it off, resulting in a towering performance of strength and vulnerability. Patricia Clarkson is another standout in an amazing villainous turn that is over-the-top, but definitely memorable throughout.
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Sharp Objects has forgettable male characters, which was an issue for me. Only the above two and the younger sister get more substantial arcs with all the others falling to the backside. The scoring, cinematography and directing are top-notch and the Southern Gothic atmosphere to the show is phenomenal. Again, I just wish there was more of those thriller and mystery elements and less of the psychological drama. The show was indecisive in what story to follow.
Sharp Objects is a solid miniseries that benefits from amazing performances from Patricia Clarkson and Amy Adams, an excellent Gothic atmosphere and some important themes, but it failed to make use of its mystery setup as it focused more on character-driven drama than the intensity. The pacing is also too sluggish.
Worst Episodes: Dirt and Milk.
Best Episodes: Ripe and Falling.
