In the new AppleTV+ series Disclaimer, Cate Blanchett stars as Catherine Ravenscroft, a celebrated documentary filmmaker. She’s married to Robert (Sacha Baron Cohen), who works with NGOs, and they have a 25-year-old son, Nicholas (Kodi Smit-McPhee), who's still living at home and selling appliances at a department store—kind of a letdown compared to his parents.
When Christiane Amanpour presents Catherine with an award, she praises her films for cutting through distractions to uncover hidden truths. But the real trick is how creator and director Alfonso Cuarón uses narrative and form to both hide and reveal those truths..
One day, Catherine gets a package containing a novel from an anonymous author. It kicks off with a disclaimer stating that any resemblance to real people is intentional. She opens it and—surprise!—recognizes that the main character is based on her.
This book we’re talking about was actually written by the late Nancy Brigstocke (Lesley Manville). It was discovered a few years after her death by her husband Stephen (Kevin Kline), an English teacher who’s pretty fed up with his life. Nancy secretly wrote it during her years of isolation after their son Jonathan (Louis Partridge) passed away 20 years ago. The story claims to be about Jonathan being seduced by Catherine and drowning while trying to save Nicholas, who was just 5 at the time, during a vacation in Italy. The manuscript's claims get a boost from a stash of erotic photos found with it.
Most viewers will have questions about "The Perfect Stranger," the novel within the story. Its events unfold on-screen as established fact, and other characters treat them that way, but it’s packed with details Nancy couldn’t have possibly known, right? With twists and turns, this AppleTV+ drama will keep you captivated until the final episode. One of the best limited series Apple has ever produced, and I hope Cate Blanchett receives a well-deserved Emmy nomination for her role.
Disclaimer* is now streaming on AppleTV+.
