Cruel Summer

I thought Cruel Summer was a slow start, but I persevered and I have to say: the finish was impressive! It is a cliché in the thriller landscape, "to mislead the viewer". Has she done what is said about her? Which of the characters is lying? Or are they all liars? This series plays that game so devilishly well that it makes you mad. Which is of course the intention. Even your feelings of sympathy and antipathy are played on all the time. You feel what people want to do with your thoughts and you don't want to garden in it, but it happens anyway. Besides a good script, the series also has good actors who give the best of themselves. The two girls who play the lead roles of Kate and Jeannette are evenly matched. Half the time you don't know who's the good guy or who's the bad guy. You just have to do it! The series was produced by Jessica Biel (The Sinner) and takes place over a period of several years (1993 – 1995). In a world without smartphones and social media. You don't miss this and that too is a compliment. Just look at Kate chatting at her PC, what a hilarious image that must be, for young people of this time! The only thing that requires a heavy adjustment from the viewer is the constant switching from year to year. In 1993 Jeanette is a wallflower with braces and low self-esteem, in 1994 she is popular and in love until things go wrong, and finally in 1995 both she and Kate are waiting for the trial of the kidnapping case and everything that goes with it. The last period is easy to recognize, because then the imagery is deliberately made cold and gray, almost like in Scandinavian crime. As far as I'm concerned, it's worth making the above adjustment. If you watch three episodes, you are bound to be hooked. Then you can hardly stop until you know how it ends. Highly recommended for those who also liked series from the genre of Mr Mercedes, The Sinner or True detective.