Mare of Easttown (2021)

Directed by: Craig Zobel | 420 minutes | crime, drama | Actors: Kate Winslet, Julianne Nicholson, Jean Smart, Angourie Rice, John Douglas Thompson, Joe Tippett, Cameron Mann, Jack Mulhern, Izzy King, Justin Hurtt-Dunkley, Sosie Bacon, David Denman, Neal Huff, James McArdle, Guy Pearce, Ruby Cruz, Enid Graham, Chinasa Ogbuagu, Kassie Mundhen, Mackenzie Lansing

‘Mare of Easttown’ is HBO’s new crime series. After the success of ‘True Detective’, the payment channel once again presents a rock-solid detective story. While the series struggles to shake off certain genre conventions, the production gradually evolves into something special.

The series follows Mare (Kate Winlset), who lives in the sleepy town of Easttown. Years ago, Mare won the state basketball championship in her high school, making her a well-known figure in the community. Today, Mare works as a police detective and struggles with her destructive family. Her life becomes even more hectic when the body of a single teenage mother is found in a nearby stream. Mare struggles to find the culprit, but is soon forced to confront her own sensitive past. The once quiet Easttown will never be the same.

The murder mystery of ‘Mare of Easttown’ isn’t exactly innovative. We’ve all seen this before. The murdered teenager. The small town. The stubborn police inspectors. With ‘Twin Peaks’ in the early nineties, David Lynch already made fun of it. And yes, except for the surprising denouement, there is little refreshing about the murder mystery of ‘Mare of Easttown’. Still, the HBO series impresses. Not because of the many crime and thriller aspects, but precisely because of the characters that underlie it. Every character, no matter how small, immediately stands out. This is a colorful group of individuals and they are all performed excellently. After a while the realization sinks in: this isn’t so much a story about crime or murder. This is primarily a series about people, with all their associated flaws and flaws.

Each character hides a complex psychology. The further we get into the plot, the more the protagonists’ personality, imperfections, and ambitions are revealed. We gradually get hints at their tragic pasts. Starting with Mare. She is damaged and torn by doubt. As a punishment she inflicts on herself, she grows ever deeper in her zeal to solve the murder case. Winslet is at the peak of her talent here, delivering without a doubt one of her most memorable characters.

But the other cast members are also impressive. Jean Smart as Mare’s foul-mouthed mother regularly provides a comic relief in the story. Nevertheless, she has one of the most moving scenes in the series, which gives a fleeting glimpse into her true self. Guy Pearce, as an outsider who has just moved into Easttown, also arouses interest. In contrast to Smart, Pearce delivers a very understated role. His character arc runs sideways from that of the other characters. His character doesn’t seem to be hiding much, and besides, not in much of a hurry. It is a pleasant and characteristic role of Pearce, who is shrill with the rest of the cast.

‘Mare of Easttown’ is a fine series. It’s not at the level of some other HBO productions (the aforementioned “True Detective” remains one of the best detective stories ever made), but it’s solid nonetheless. With character development as the highest aim, the series is also a pleasant surprise within an overcrowded genre. In that respect, more series of this kind should be made.