{"id":79259,"date":"2024-11-27T08:43:44","date_gmt":"2024-11-27T08:43:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ccmagazine.es\/?p=79259"},"modified":"2026-07-11T16:59:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T16:59:12","slug":"disclaimer-cuarons-series-on-the-power-of-the-narrative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ccmagazine.es\/en\/disclaimer-cuarons-series-on-the-power-of-the-narrative\/","title":{"rendered":"“Disclaimer”: Cuaron’s series on the power of the narrative"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently, we watched “Disclaimer”<\/em> on Apple TV<\/em>, the fascinating series based on the eponymous book by Ren\u00e9e<\/em> Knight<\/em>, directed by filmmaker Alfonso Cuar\u00f3n<\/em>\u2014known for “Roma”<\/em> and “Gravity”<\/em>, with which he won the Oscar in 2018 and 2013, respectively\u2014and starring Cate Blanchett<\/em>, Sacha Baron Cohen<\/em>, Kevin Kline<\/em>, Leila George<\/em>, Leslie Manville<\/em>, Kodi Smit-McPhee<\/em>, Louis Partridge<\/em>, and Indira Varma<\/em> as the narrator.<\/p>\n

This production explores the blurred boundaries between reality, memory, and the interpretation of events, while also focusing on the importance of doubt and the presumption of innocence. In an era where rumors, cancel culture, and post-truth thrive, and fact-checking seems to concern only a few, this storyline feels highly relevant.<\/p>\n

We say this even though the plot is not centered on a political issue, as it is based on an alleged event that happened many years ago, which led to the death of a young man while attempting to save the protagonist’s son.<\/p>\n

Over the course of the 7 episodes that make up this psychological thriller, we gradually learn all the details, with multiple questions being answered, resulting in a narrative very different from its starting point.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The plot<\/h6>\n

Catherine Ravenscroft<\/em> (played by Cate Blanchett<\/em>) is a renowned documentary filmmaker who finds herself trapped in a nightmare after receiving a book\u2014A Perfect Stranger<\/em>\u2014that reveals intimate details of her life, hidden secrets she has tried to bury in the past, connected to a sordid and traumatic event.<\/p>\n

This book also reaches her family\u2014husband and son\u2014and her work environment, as the author weaves a terrifying revenge.<\/p>\n

Truth, doubt, revenge, and manipulation<\/h6>\n

The story unfolds at the intersection of the fiction in the novel and the protagonist’s personal reality, with the very concept of “disclaimer” becoming one of the central themes of the narrative.<\/p>\n

Here, what a stranger thinks they know about the protagonist’s life becomes an absolute truth, gaining even more credibility as it is presented in painstaking detail in a literary work she never asked for, yet which seems to know her better than she knows herself.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s particularly intriguing about the story is that it prompts reflection on “truth” and the manipulation anyone can exercise over another, either to seek revenge or to feel justified.<\/p>\n

We see how the victim’s environment will almost succumb to the testimony of a stranger, who passionately claims to know lurid and shocking secrets about Catherine Ravenscroft<\/em>\u2014once admired and envied in equal measure.<\/p>\n

That said, it is also true that the series ventures into risky territory by playing with the perception of truth in ways that don’t always land effectively. While the idea of a hidden truth buried under layers of manipulation is well-executed, the constant plot twists and cliffhangers eventually become somewhat predictable and at times contrived.<\/p>\n

A visually immaculate series, composed of four stories<\/h6>\n

Stylistically, Cuar\u00f3n<\/em> manages to convey the dense, ominous atmosphere the plot demands. His handling of tension, the use of shadows, and long shots are trademarks of his talent for creating an immersive psychological atmosphere.<\/p>\n

To achieve this, he also worked with two talented cinematographers: Emmanuel “El Chivo” Lubezki <\/em>(“Children of Men” <\/em>or “Gravity”<\/em>, for which he won his first of three consecutive Oscars<\/em>) and Bruno Delbonnel<\/em>, known for his work with high-profile directors like Jean-Pierre Jeunet<\/em>, Tim Burton<\/em>, the Coen Brothers<\/em>, Joe Wright<\/em>, and Wes Anderson<\/em>. Together, they developed distinct visual languages for each of the stories.<\/p>\n

As you\u2019ll see, Cuar\u00f3n<\/em> chose to structure his story around four independent tales, which gradually reveal how interconnected they truly are. The narrative plays with structure, utilizing flashbacks, different perspectives, intertwined timelines, and voice-over narrations that provide fragments of information throughout the story.<\/p>\n

Cast<\/h6>\n

Blanchett <\/em>(Catherine Ravenscroft<\/em>) carries the weight of the story with an extraordinary performance, brimming with emotion, navigating between desperation and suppressed rage. At first, it\u2019s hard to empathize with her, but you have to give the story time for that to change.<\/p>\n

Her “avenger” is the great Kevin Kline<\/em> (Stephen Brigstocke<\/em>), a depressed professor mourning the death of his wife and son. He is jaded with life, utterly insensitive in his dealings with students, and obsessed with avenging his son’s death, which also led to his wife\u2019s death from cancer, leaving him alone in a life without meaning.<\/p>\n

Louis Partridge<\/em> plays Jonathan<\/em>, Stephen Brigstocke<\/em>\u2019s son, who is passionate about photography. Leila George<\/em> portrays young Catherine Ravenscroft<\/em>, and Kodi Smit-McPhee<\/em> plays Nickolas<\/em>, Catherine<\/em>\u2019s older son, whom Jonathan<\/em> (Louis<\/em> Partridge<\/em>) “saved”.<\/p>\n

Sacha Baron Cohen<\/em> is Robert<\/em>, Catherine Ravenscroft<\/em>\u2019s weak-willed husband, and Leslie Manville<\/em> plays Stephen<\/em> Brigstocke<\/em>\u2019s wife, who is obsessively fixated on her son, both in life and after his death. All of the performances are excellent, particularly those of Blanchett<\/em>, Kline<\/em>, and Manville<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Cats as a balance between perfection and chaos<\/h6>\n

As cat lovers, we found it curious that nearly every house in the series featured a cat\u2014whether it was the Ravenscroft<\/em> household, Stephen Brigstocke<\/em>\u2019s home, or even Cate<\/em>‘s mother\u2019s house. Beautiful cats appear in many scenes.<\/p>\n

The reason? Cuar\u00f3n<\/em> himself explained that the presence of cats represents a balance between perfection and chaos. As he put it, he likes imperfections, and since we can’t control cats, they became a symbolic element of the unpredictable.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeware of narrative and form. Their power can bring us closer to the truth, but they can also be a weapon with great manipulative power.\u201d Christiane Amanpour<\/h2>\n

Highly recommended.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recently, we watched “Disclaimer” on Apple TV, the fascinating series based on the eponymous book by Ren\u00e9e Knight, directed by filmmaker Alfonso Cuar\u00f3n\u2014known for “Roma” and “Gravity”, with which he won the Oscar in 2018 and 2013, respectively\u2014and starring Cate Blanchett, Sacha Baron Cohen, Kevin Kline, Leila George, Leslie Manville, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Louis Partridge, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":78990,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5904,5903],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cinema","category-culture-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n"Disclaimer": Cuaron's series on the power of the narrative<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\""Disclaimer" (Apple TV) is the fascinating series based on the eponymous book by 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