I May Destroy You (BBC/HBO) TV Show Review

Hitting from the heart

by Casimir Harlow
Movies & TV Shows Review

15

Unmissable
I May Destroy You (BBC/HBO) TV Show Review

Created, written and directed by - and starring - Michaela Coel, this BBC drama is equal parts acerbically witty and tragically powerful.

Reportedly semi-autobiographical, Coel's 12-part drama is a refreshingly honest, no-frills trip down a very dark path, with some very normal people (curiously more honest than even the impressive Normal People) who afford the drama authentic reactions, spunky wit, and powerful, organic performances, all set to an incredible soundtrack. The bitesize sub-30-minute chapters, wisely released two at a time, afford you enough substance to digest - and enough time to digest it - whilst not overwhelming you with what soon turns out to be a comprehensive study of sexual assault and trauma in every way, shape or form that you may or may not have considered.

 

Authentic reactions, spunky wit, and powerful, organic performances, all set to an incredible soundtrack  

Arabella is a bubbly, outspoken, writer who achieved minor stardom courtesy of Twitter but is struggling to capitalise on it with a second written work. One fateful night she chooses play over work, and wakes up with little recollection of what transpired, gradually putting together the pieces of a nightmarish puzzle with her equally long-term suffering best friends by her side, attempting to navigate the reality of sexual assault, and realising that it's far more commonplace than she ever would have thought.

I May Destroy You

I May Destroy You is a hard watch, with Coel putting together a production that is surprisingly honest - to the point where you seldom feel like you genuinely like her character, even if you're just as outraged by everything that transpires. Her decision-making is flawed but real, and her reactions to the situation are some of the most breathtakingly raw that you feel for how much of this was possibly informed by real life incidents.

This isn't your usual rape-revenge tale, nor anything even vaguely approximating it, with the perpetrator almost tangentially relevant, and instead the focus on the psychological and emotional fallout. Arabella is damaged horrifically, becoming a super-alert beacon of pain, no longer able to emotionally connect with anybody around her (her friends have their own horrific issues but Arabella is so busy dealing with - or avoiding - her own trauma that she has no bandwidth to read any of the signs), smashing her way through the world to try and get her head above water.

 

An excellent production, made all the more impressive by the fact that it was basically created, written and directed by its lead star Michaela Coel.  

Coel has done tremendous work here with the writing, with each character a fully developed entity, plenty of grey areas addressed and - in many cases - razor-focussed in a superb way to show that they really aren't grey at all, and the treatment of friends, lovers, the police and therapists all addressed. It really is genius - with a highlight being a look behind the old school friend who runs a therapy group, and her own traumatic history with sexual assault which initially put her at odds with Arabella and her friends.

It's not perfect. As stated, it's sometimes hard to get behind Arabella, partly because what befalls her is so traumatic that it's unreasonable to expect those who haven't been through it to fully understand what it can do to you, and partly because she isn't played to be someone you actually *like*. It's genuinely tragic to see just how her closest friends perceive her, and become gradually more distant from her, without her even noticing, despite still spouting the same ride or die slogans as if that's all it takes to maintain the status of 'best friends'. And whilst it's clever that some of the 'truth' is left largely unanswered, the fact that major players in the first episode are largely discarded for the majority of the rest of the show feels a little dissatisfying. But they're comparatively minor niggles in what is an otherwise excellent production, made all the more impressive by the fact that it was basically created, written and directed by its lead star Michaela Coel. She's definitely one to watch.


Scores

Verdict

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9

9
AVForumsSCORE
OUT OF
10

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