What makes us an individual being? All that we are, what we do, our reaction to certain things, even to a tragedy is so unique, no one can expect from us to be the same as others. It’s simply not right and unlikely. For instance, someone who was beaten up by life itself has his own way of dealing with the tragedy, while others may not be so reserved and content. The new mini series from Netflix called “Unbelievable” revolves around real events that justify its title by literally leaving you in complete disbelief of things that should have never happened in the first place and yet it still did.
Marie Adler (exceptionally talented Kaitlyn Dever), an 18-year-old teenager who lives with foster parents, finds herself in the middle of night tied up by a stranger, raped multiple times, and then forced to take a shower. He then took her bed sheet and her underwear and left. She reports the rape to the police, and even was interviewed by Detective Robert Parker (Eric Lange). However, since her physical, psychological, and emotional response did not apparently fit into the standards of police and even her foster parents, they not only did not believe her but called her a liar.
After being bullied by the police psychologically, Marie Adler is left with no choice but to say she made up everything and is sent to the group of anonymous liars instead of being treated from the trauma caused by the sexual assault. Two years later, when the same man continued sexually assaulting women in the same manner, two female detectives, Detective Karen Duvall (Merritt Wever) and Detective Grace Rasmussen (Toni Collette) started doing what the police should have done in the first place – to investigate the matter that will lead them to Marie Adler’s assault which no one in her district believed.
The limited series created by Susannah Grant, Michael Chabon, and Ayelet Waldman opens up a wound of every sexually assault woman or man that was ignored by the police. Even though Marie Adler is a real person portrayed by Kaitlyn Dever, this character alone is a composition of every real victim that is out there, afraid to come out for the same reason Marie Adler’s claim was turned down. The appearance of two female detectives changes the course of investigation, digging one case after another, to ensure whoever it is, the man who manages to leave no trace behind will be caught. Of course, in the end, it will happen but at the price of so many other victims who had to join to the sad statistics of the world we live in.
In the end, “Unbelievable” is a perfect title for a show like this. If you enjoy crime series, this one is what you need to be focused on. Excellent performances and the outstanding last act will leave you stunned in the exact same way as the detectives were once they find out the truth of Marie Adler. From start to end, it will be hard to drop watching it as the desire to finish it will be stronger than tiredness you may experience for any reason. That said, series like this is what we need to watch. Stories like this must be told so we all could learn from. It’s intelligent and thought-provoking, while the writing of it is an absolute winner that leaves nothing else to wish but for more no matter how much it may hurt as you watch until the screen fades to black.