‎Zoë Rose Bryant’s reviews • Letterboxd

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Big Little Lies 2017

★★★★★ Rewatched 21 Apr 2019 5

Rewatching this again for the second time this week with my mom this time (who hasn’t ever seen it!!!) and I’m deciding to bump it up to a 5/5 because WHAT THE HELL.
The payoff and execution of each twist is impeccable. Even with knowledge of the outcomes, the buildup is so fascinating to follow, and the script makes sure each realization still manages to surprise in some way regardless.
I notice more little moments on each watch. It’s crazy how a single tear streaming down Nicole Kidman’s face can turn me into a M E S S.
Big Little Lies 2017

★★★★ Rewatched 16 Apr 2019 5

It’s so important that this story exists.
A near-flawless blend of pitch-perfect writing, masterful direction, and brutal editing, all topped off by one of the most well-cast ensembles in television history.
Nicole deserved literally every single award in the universe for bravely bringing such a powerful and authentic character to life and shining a light on the complexities of domestic abuse. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a performance this raw and affecting on the matter, and I don’t know if I’ll ever see another that could come remotely close.
Bring on season 2 and the rise of Meryl.
Loki 2021

★★★½ Watched 14 Jul 2021

Loki is wildly uneven (and it certainly feels like they stretched this story out as far as they could to fill six episodes), but its season opener and season closer are both so strong - and the character work for Loki and Sylvie is so solid - that I’m ultimately positive on the show as a whole, even if I feel that there’s considerable room to improve in the future.
Certain scripts could’ve used sharpening up (Episode 2 and Episode…
The Underground Railroad 2021

★★★★½ Watched 16 May 2021

An absolutely unprecedented feat of filmmaking - and quite possibly Barry Jenkins’ magnum opus. It’s honestly almost impossible to sum up my thoughts in a way that isn’t utterly incoherent. I’m simply left gobsmacked by the glorious storytelling on display and Jenkins’ ability to properly portray the staggering pains of slavery while always highlighting the heart of his protagonists above all else, honoring their humanity amidst all the horror they endure.
In addition, he’s assembled one of the most captivating…
Maid 2021

★★★★★ Watched 03 May 2022 2

At risk of oversharing on Letterboxd, this miniseries meant a lot to me for many reasons. For starters, though I was a bit older than Maddy when my mom was going through something similar, I’m the child of an eventual single mother who had to escape abuse for the sake of the safety of herself and her children, and while some of my youngest and saddest memories have faded as the years go by, the feelings haven’t.
The horror I…
Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story 2022

★★★½ Watched 04 Oct 2022 1

I’ve seen this and Blonde compared to one another recently - two graphic retellings of real-life tragedies that have been accused of being “exploitative” - so I was VERY apprehensive before sitting down to watch Dahmer.
But, surprisingly, I had a much better experience with this than I ever anticipated. To start, I hate that the families didn’t have a say in how this story would be told or how this project would be produced, or even if it should…
Daisy Jones & the Six 2023

★★★★★ Watched 24 Mar 2023 4

It’s impossible for me to rate this “seriously” - I discovered this book over the pandemic, tore through it in a matter of days, and followed every part of the show’s production from start-to-finish in anticipation. I’ve been waiting for it forever, and watching something you care about so deeply in one medium come alive in another is simply one of the most exciting experiences ever. And while there’s no “perfect” adaptation (and I understand being upset with some of…
Squid Game 2021

★★★★½ Watched 07 Oct 2021

To make a long story short, believe the hype for Squid Game.
While not without a few lulls in pacing here or there - and the extraneous addition of some unintentionally comical characters in the final third of the season - this is a sensational suspenseful and starkly scathing indictment on capitalism and our current social class structure, anchored by arresting acting across-the-board, winning writing, and a superb sense of setting (with instantly iconic production design). You can draw obvious…
Dopesick 2021

★★★★ Watched 23 Apr 2022 4

Dopesick is one of the most emotionally devastating series I’ve seen in quite some time. Occasionally, its reach is greater than its grasp, and it’s not free of heavy-handed dialogue entirely, but it’s full of undeniably riveting righteous fury, and the ensemble is exceptionally cast, with each actor earning your engagement in spite of the slight structural stumbles here or there. Michael Keaton is going to deservedly win that Emmy, but Kaitlyn Dever is just as astounding, again asserting herself…
Under the Banner of Heaven 2022

★★★★ Watched 18 Jun 2022 2

I sometimes struggled with the structure of this series - it was a little too slow to start, and the interweaving of the past and the present was clumsily constructed from time to time - but it REALLY picked up halfway through, and at the very least, it was always thematically compelling, unveiling harsh truths about religious radicalization.
Above ALL else though, this was just elevated enooormously by the exceptional ensemble. Andrew Garfield is an admirably committed lead, but it’s…
Midnight Mass 2021

★★★★★ Watched 10 Oct 2021 5

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

Mike Flanagan really came for those of us with religious trauma, huh? 🥵
I put this one off for awhile because I knew it would be A Lot™, and while it most certainly was, it was also SO much more emotionally rewarding than I could have ever expected. Having been raised Catholic - and lectured/shamed by strict conservative Catholic grandparents for most of my youth - I knew these people and these places all too well, but what I most…
Mare of Easttown 2021

★★★★★ Watched 30 May 2021 4

Staggeringly successful long-form storytelling, with one of the most expertly assembled ensemble casts in any project across any medium that I’ve had the pleasure of watching perform in at least... a decade? I’m simply speechless at how Mare of Easttown not only managed to up the ante with its central mystery each and every week, but also still stick the landing in a fantastically satisfying finale, which achieved a sense of spiritual resonance that so few films and miniseries can…