ncentia Reviews

The Man Who Fell to Earth (2022)

Episode one - promising start

[8/10 · 25 April 2022]

I'm a big fan of the original as a big fan of David Bowie. This stands alone, but it echoes back and pays tribute nicely, while being a compelling story in its own right.

Chiwetel Ejiofor performs convincingly and with humour as an alien learning to behave as human and deal with the sensory input. Watching as an autistic person I felt resonance with that and I think that's no accident with Justin assuming and stating he was on the spectrum.

I really don't understand why anyone would be so fixated on the fact that lead characters happen to be black. If it's out of some sort of loyalty to the original film then it's sadly, deeply misguided. Bowie was passionate about civil rights and disgusted by racism and I believe he'd fully support the casting choices. It is in no way AT ALL honoring his memory or legacy to be racist.

Secrets of Playboy (2022–2023)

Courageous storytelling

[9/10 · 5 April 2022]

This series is not remotely easy to watch. The stories are horrendous but they deserve to be told, to demystify the web of lies woven by an abuser, and unburden and begin to heal the hearts of his victims.

My heart goes out to the women and what they endured. Their truth stands. If viewers want to question anybody's motives I suggest they start with Hefner and his fellow abusers.

Anyone who has no knowledge or experience of the insidious dynamics of abuse has no business forming opinions about the matters this documentary covers. I feel for every survivor who has to see some of the ignorant views expressed and I hope you all know that it is nothing but background noise and carries no weight and those who understand can see clearly - you are believed.

Severance (2022– )

Liminal space

[9/10 · 18 March 2022]

"To be in a liminal space means to be on the precipice of something new but not quite there yet. You can be in a liminal space physically, emotionally, or metaphorically. Being in a liminal space can be incredibly uncomfortable for most people."

The entire show exists within a surrealistic liminal space and it is very unsettling. For some viewers we marvel in the brilliance of how palpably the liminal space is evoked, but for others they seem to either find the discomfort intolerable and/or don't understand that it is intentional.

It very much reminds me of the game The Stanley Parable and apparently this was an influence alongside Office Space, Brazil, and The Truman Show.

There are many good performances - particularly the restrained blossoming romance between John Turturro (Irving) and Christopher Walken (Burt) and the sinister seething of Patricia Arquette (Harmony Cobel).

As We See It (2022)

I'm autistic - and very disappointed

[4/10 · 23 January 2022]

I was hopeful about this show, that it might have been a step towards the better representation we autistic people are long overdue, and the fact the autistic characters are played by autistic actors is a big positive. But I remain unconvinced a neurotypical writer can tell autistic stories and it's very disappointing to learn the writer consulted with Autism Speaks, a group that many in the community consider a hate group because of the egregiousness of the way they have represented us. There are plenty of talented autistic writers in the world, there is no reason we shouldn't be allowed to tell our own stories.

The biggest problem in this show was Mandy. She is basically a neurotypical saviour, following in the footsteps of the white saviour trope. Too many times autistic characters are props in her story. And as a support worker she is awful - dictating goals to autistic people based on neurotypical ways of living and making Harrison undergo exposure therapy for sensory sensitivity which doesn't work. Exposure only heightens sensitivity and increases distress. There is no need at all for him to be forced into uncomfortable clothing and situations to please his family and it is a child who suggests the very obvious solution of sunglasses and ear protectors.

The autistic characters were reduced to lazy stereotypes.

Jack thinks he is masking and passing as neurotypical but this character plays into the lazy trope of blunt, rude, uncaring and unempathetic. Autistic people lacking empathy is a harmful myth, often the opposite is true with many of us experiencing hyperempathy. Personally I am prone to blunt, direct communication but I am very aware of other people's feelings and care deeply. If I do slip and say something bluntly that upsets someone I feel awful afterwards and ruminate on it, that is a common reaction. An autistic person who is masking doesn't walk around being rude to people, they might be very agreeable to the point they betray themselves and afterwards when they are in solitude crash into exhaustion, it comes at a cost. Jack's reaction to his father's diagnosis was very realistic and the scene in the doctor's office of him grilling a doctor mirrors a similar event in my life very closely. I appreciated the subtle parts of this character - fidgeting, rocking, echolalia, being sensitive to smell.

Violet's desire for autonomy was a very upsetting storyline. Her brother's character deserved a lot more criticism for his controlling, steamrolling conduct and this was presented with far more sympathy than it deserved. Her naivety and vulnerability in romantic and sexual relationships is very true to the reality of a lot of autistic women's experiences. Sadly abuse is common. At least Mandy suggested she could be given guidance to navigate the world and find safe and healthy connection but it's a shame this wasn't just shown. Finding comfort from soft toys and things that are typically "for children" is common among us.

Harrison deserved much more accommodation and support for his sensory sensitivities and I hated his family talking behind his back. There's not much to say about this character as he is basically a prop for Mandy's story. Sensory sensitivity is not agoraphobia, not anxiety (but it can cause anxiety) and pushing through is not a good strategy, it can be done but comes at a cost.

Douglas may have been a minor character but was one of my favourites.

There were so many missed opportunities - to show autistic people who are independent (we exist), to show those living with cooccurring conditions, to show trans, queer, poly or ace autistic people, to show autistic people with intellectual disability or who are non-verbal, to show autistic people who are very engaged in global autistic community and advocates for neurodiversity and are proud in their autistic identity.

If there is a second season it would be my hope that Mandy is gone or gets a clue and that autistic voices are engaged much more in the writing process.

I would also really like to encourage other reviewers to not assume they understand autistic experience based on being a parent of, or friend to an autistic person or having worked with autistic people. It's not the same, and as inappropriate as if a white person presumed to understand black experience because they have a black friend or a straight person pretending to understand queer experience. If you haven't lived it then you don't know and you're just talking over autistic voices and we are already marginalised enough.

We're here, we can speak for ourselves.

The Lost Symbol (2021)

Pseudointellectualism

[5/10 · 7 January 2022]

I really hope people know that intelligent and academic people are nothing like this (Indigo children? Really??).

Like all Dan Brown, if you switch off your thinking and watch it as Scooby Doo for grown-ups it is somewhat entertaining. But it really is very, very silly.

More and more I'm convinced it is impossible for an author to realistically write a character with any higher intelligence than they have themselves.

Stay Close (2021)

Convoluted mess

[4/10 · 1 January 2022]

If the list of characters were halved there would still be too many. A total mess that never resolves or makes sense, doesn't know if it's serious or surreal, with character motivations and behaviour that are inconsistent. Not worth the time.

Station Eleven (2021–2022)

A review from someone who has actually read the book...

[5/10 · 17 December 2021]

Based on the first two episodes the show is very close to the book.

The book uses some quite surrealistic plot devices, does have synchronicities that stretch belief, and does jump around timelines. The Travelling Symphony are very reminiscent of the puppet shows in Hoban's Riddley Walker. There is not much in Station Eleven that is original and not derived from other (arguably better) stories in post-apocalyptic settings. The novel-within-a novel has been employed more successfully in other stories (eg Atwood's The Blind Assassin).

Given the times we are living in I think it was a strange time to bring this story to the screen right now. I'm not sure audiences will want to watch it or receive it well. The poor reviews are understandable, the book was interesting but fundamentally weak.

(EDIT - to add that 10 episodes in the show has departed significantly from the book, and not for the better, but makes the story even more self-indulgent and pretentious.)

And Just Like That... (2021– )

Strategic incompetence?

[6/10 · 11 December 2021]

So often on IMDB there are an excess of reviews that focus only on representation and "wokeness" so I'm hesitant to write one myself. However, the attempts to add better diversity and representation to this reboot are so clumsy and self-conscious I can't help but wonder if it is strategic incompetence. The same energy as a toxic spouse who deliberately performs tasks badly to highlight how supposedly unreasonable it was to ask them to perform them, or to prevent them from being asked again. Is it really so hard to represent diversity and keep the focus on characters' humanity?

The Innocents (2021)

Purposeless horror

[5/10 · 8 December 2021]

Stylistically very good with haunting, atmospheric cinematography and good casting and acting.

However, the story is horrific with multiple acts of violence that the audience is asked to endure - but for no discernible purpose. If film-makers wish audiences to invest their time and emotion into their work then there should be some message or pay-off but in this there really wasn't any other than some perhaps ambiguous and fuzzy themes of empathy, relationships, etc.

I will admit I went into it skeptical with the limited and skewed research the writer/director (Eskil Vogt) apparently did about non-verbal autistic people. But the representation was not the worst ever seen on screen. I was also hesitant after reading that Vogt based the story on the false premise children do not have any innate empathy and that it must be taught.

Foundation (2021– )

Not Foundation

[6/10 · 24 November 2021]

I like the TV show and I like the books, but they are not the same story. The TV show should just not be called Foundation.

The show is visually appealing, well cast, well acted and an interesting story. But it is not the story of Foundation. I can understand diversifying the gender of characters, but the other story changes were just not necessary. A real wasted opportunity.

Showtrial (2021–2024)

Not worth your time

[3/10 · 2 November 2021]

A few actors giving good performances is not enough to compensate for those who didn't, annoying and unsympathetic characters, clunky story-telling, highly inept police procedure, too many superfluous and undeveloped characters, and ad-hoc ambiguity thrown in at the end which was weak, non-committal and insulting to the audience. We never learn anything about the missing girl, she's nothing more than a face, her character missing from the story. The audience is never given any real insight to what actually happened. A very hollow story and even the most impactful elements of the story fail to land with any weight. Only worth watching if you want to watch the lead smirk for 5 episodes.

Invasion (2021–2024)

Unoriginal, annoying

[3/10 · 23 October 2021]

Alien invasion has been done so many times that if it's going to be done again there's got to be a reason. Three episodes in and there is no reason for this show. An ensemble cast and wide geography doesn't make a story interesting if if means nothing.

Terrible dialogue, sub-par acting and annoying characters. A lot of language that is unnecessarily misogynist and discriminatory.

Nine Perfect Strangers (2021)

Bad message

[4/10 · 22 September 2021]

Inappropriate boundaries in therapy should not be glorified. I hate the way this show ended - everyone accepting multiple boundary transgressions and believing that the ends justified the means. A therapist who does not let a patient lead, who pushes them out of comfort again and again, who puts them at risk for their own selfish needs is an abusive therapist. This would NOT heal people. It would traumatise them. Their loyalty to Masha was trauma bonding, not transcendence. We should not glorify cult leader tactics, they exist in the real world and have done great harm.

Old (2021)

Fundamentally bad

[1/10 · 19 September 2021]

Clunky exposition, terrible dialogue, terribly acted. Out-of-frame aging and events which are excused as mystery/tension-building but possibly more to do with budget constraints. Hard to care when none of the characters are likeable and have only roughly sketched out premise and development. Would have been more impactful with fewer characters that the audience could actually invest in than a bunch of people yelling over each other.

Worst of all, once again Shyamalan exploits stigmatising stereotypes of mental illness as scary and violent. Enough already.

Spoiler - Medical trials on single subjects are meaningless.

The Reason I Jump (2020)

'This world is our world, there is no other'

[10/10 · 26 July 2021]

Through understanding and listening to people, allowing them to communicate in their own way, we can all move towards better awareness, compassion and work towards ending misunderstanding and mistreatment. Many need to learn to look beyond external difference and see that there is a whole human being, with thoughts, emotions and as much of a right to fulfilling life as any other. I do wish though, that David Mitchell had stayed behind the scenes. Naoki Higashida's message is strong, it doesn't need to be 'neurotypical-splained'. There is enough domination of discussion of autism by parents of autistic children, sidelining actually autistic people who are able to share our own experiences.

Sexy Beasts (2021)

Terrible editing

[2/10 · 23 July 2021]

I don't understand the point of all the choppy editing and flashing shots of contestants dancing around in front of lights. It is so visually busy and irritating.

Sex/Life (2021–2023)

Soap opera

[4/10 · 1 July 2021]

Soap opera-level writing and acting. It really is very unintelligent and doesn't show any but the shallowest insight into human behaviour. The characters are cartoon-level simple. Incredibly poor depiction of healthy boundaries in relationships and so much inappropriate behaviour.

What I don't understand about this and other ridiculous stories like it - couples can actually talk to each other! Communication exists! Couple's therapy exists! All the drama is really ridiculous and a juvenile approach to life and relationships.

One positive is at least it shows normal experiences of lactating mothers.

False Positive (2021)

Wasted potential

[6/10 · 28 June 2021]

This could have been a strong movie, the cast bring a lot of talent....but the story-telling and editing is incoherent, and the core story is on the weak side. At times it is so dark that it is impossible to see what is happening. I think the unreliable narrator/confused about reality trope is used to wave away a lot of poor story decisions.

Pierce Brosnan is convincing as a sinister character.

(Probably not a good idea to watch for women who have experienced miscarriage. There is some explicit imagery that is potentially triggering.)

Lisey's Story (2021)

Title sequence

[6/10 · 25 June 2021]

The title sequence is 10/10 - visual perfection, beautiful, haunting, poignant.

Love on the Spectrum (2019–2021)

Applaud the representation, the participants, but not the production

[4/10 · 23 June 2021]

All 4 stars are for the participants only. I really appreciate their willingness to share their stories, their aspirations, and themselves with honesty.

It is just such a shame that when they speak, sometimes about deeply personal emotional experiences, that there is a constant soundtrack of quirky music as if they are being comical. It is demeaning.

This show seems to rely on presenting those on the spectrum as innocent, child-like, cute, funny. I don't think people should be so quick to pat themselves on the back for watching this and seeing it as heartwarming - you are not watching puppies, you are watching human beings being presented in a way that is non-threatening for your comfort. This is not a complete depiction of human experience.

If the show had respect and understanding for neurodiversity then it wouldn't force people to date in a way that suits neurotypical people. Meeting people for the first time and sitting face-to-face making small talk would be incredibly uncomfortable and painful for many on the spectrum, let alone with a camera crew there too.

There's a scene where a mother laughs in one room about her son wanting to be a gangster when he grows up while he cringes in the other room. It is making fun of his confusion and not showing him respect or consideration. Laughing and being condescending is cruelty, it's not kindness.

Love on the Spectrum (2019–2021)

Applaud the representation and the participants but not the production

[4/10 · 22 June 2021]

Every star is for the particpants - I appreciate their willingness to show themselves, their aspirations and to do so with honesty.

But if you watch this and think "oh how heartwarming, aren't they sweet, aren't they cute" and then pat yourself on the back for not being hateful, remember you are not watching puppies, but adult human beings. The presentation and quirky music really is quite demeaning. Presenting those on the spectrum as sweet, naive, child-like, optimistic and comical is all about making neurotypical people comfortable with their difference. It is not a fair representation of the range of thoughts and feelings those on the spectrum have. The search for idealised romantic love is also designed to cater to the audience and ignores that some on the spectrum might actually just want casual sex instead.

For the sake of entertaining the audience the show forces neurodivergent people to date in a neurotypical way when it may not the most comfortable or effective for them - small talk, eye contact, first dates in front of a camera are not ideal for everyone on the spectrum. The social awkwardness the audience sees might just appear as lack of skills, but it can also be accompanied with very uncomfortable feelings like pain and exhaustion. Showing people with challenges overcoming obstacles to inspire others is sadly so common. But so often in this show it is apparent that people are feeling enormous discomfort, are feeling ashamed of it, and apologetic.

The mother laughing in the kitchen about her son wanting to be a gangster while he is clearly not feeling comfortable - is absolutely not OK. Everyone deserves dignity and respect, it's not suddenly OK to demean and disrespect people because they're neurodivergent.

I haven't watched every episode - does every person on the spectrum end up dating a person who is also on the spectrum? Many of us on the spectrum are in relationships with people who are neurotypical. Yes there are challenges, extra communication required, we need to extend ourselves to understand each other but it is possible and it works. People date outside their neurotype just as they can outside their race, religion, etc.

Evil (2019–2024)

Unwatchably stupid

[4/10 · 21 June 2021]

Some production value but incredibly unintelligent television. The characters are caricaturised tropes. The meeting of science and pseudoscience is embarrassing. A whole lot of waffling nonsense.

Other reviews have mentioned how ludicrous the autopsy scene is with the girl who is fully clothed and the first incision is made on her jaw. How about the fact that when she sits up there are heart monitor sounds - from where?? She is not hooked up to any machines. Just insultingly ridiculous.

And yeah, the kids are VERY, VERY obnoxiously annoying.

Cruel Summer (2021–2023)

Not quite great

[7/10 · 18 June 2021]

Decent, had the potential to be amazing, but ended up failing to live up to its own potential with a disappointing soap-opera level ending.

At its strongest in it's nuanced and sensitive depiction of grooming. Mostly convincing in showing the awkwardness and changes of adolescence.

The changes in character appearance and cinematography between years helped to reduce confusion about what year each scene is happening in. But it did mean that the 1993 hair, fashion and style looked a lot more like the 80s than the 90s and 1995 was darker and bleaker than necessary.

The music of the era worked well, but the slow, paired-back, female singer versions of pop songs has been so over-done and it is highly, highly over-used in this show to the point of distraction.

Mallory is a very annoying and unlikeable character.

After a season of a subtly unfolding story the ending seemed very cheap and flat. Not sure what the point is going to be of season two. I tend to think it would have been better to tell a solid and convincing story in one season and leave it at that.

Loki (2021–2023)

Episode one - from the perspective of a Marvel non-fan

[7/10 · 10 June 2021]

It's fine. It's vaguely interesting. It's not amazing and there is nothing that unique here. The humour is pretty cheesy and obvious. Dialogue, music, cinematography, characters, and acting is all quality but not ground-breaking. There are a lot of flashbacks to previous movies in ep 1 which I assume are meaningful to viewers who watched and remember those movies but are more of a distraction if you haven't watched them or don't particularly remember them. The clip reels really strain the fourth wall and makes the show feel very cobbled together.

Sophia Di Martino is not very convincing as a Loki.

I suspect this show will just be more fan-service and milking the Marvel cow. Not so much made with a general audience in mind.

The Mosquito Coast (2021–2023)

Why?

[6/10 · 4 June 2021]

This show has many strengths and is well-produced. But 7 episodes in and the audience is still given no reason WHY we should care about, invest in, empathise with, and root for Allie and Margot and many, many reasons why we shouldn't. They are not likeable characters and that's hard to accept when we're given no reasons why they are the way they are. It undermines the entire show and as a viewer you just watch children endangered, lied to, and controlled again and again with no good reason provided for why it is happening. In a way it somewhat works as an allegory for abusive parenting and being stuck in the grip of a destructive narcissist but I'm not sure it is enough.

I will continue watching and I assume at some point we will learn why Allie and Margot are on the run from authorities. I just hope the cost to viewers of holding back that information actually pays off.