I have to thank my brother for this one. He mentioned it in his annual "Best of the Year" email to me about the recent Golden Globe and International Press Academy nominations. The former did not recognize either "Orphan Black" or "Rectify" in their noms, but the latter did.
And a good thing IMO. This Sundance Channel series is darker than many here on FFL would like. It *is*, after all, the story of a man released from 20 years on death row after DNA evidence raises doubts about his conviction, and trying to figure out what life in the world is all about. But the writing, the direction, and above all the acting cause it to rise up from its pulp fiction roots and *soar* from time to time. Both Aden Young (as the former convict) and Abigail Spencer (as his sister) *more* than deserve their nominations from the IPA. It's a shame that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (Golden Globes) didn't feel similarly, but they have a habit of going for the mainstream and the safe in terms of TV. If you're looking for action in your TV shows, you're not going to find it here. It's reminiscent of "Under The Dome" in that it's about a small town being fed on by its own fears and secrets, but it's a far more subtle series than that Stephen King-based series. This is a small town in Georgia, not the Midwest, and it ain't no miraculously-appearing-dome that's got their small town panties in a twist. It's that there is a guy living among them whom at least half of them are convinced really raped and murdered one of their own, a teenaged girl, 20 years ago. This kinda dynamic breeds ugliness, and that ugliness is not defused in any way by Daniel, the ex-con. Daniel's story is that at age 18 he was convicted of this crime and sent to prison for the next 20 years. He has spent more time on death row than he has out in the world. His whole world for 20 years has consisted of not knowing whether this was his last day on earth, and finding a way to live with that. Now he finds himself back in the world, and trying to find a way to live with THAT. Aden Young is *tremendous* at portraying this. At times distant, at times more emotionally vulnerable than anyone you've seen onscreen in years, he just steals the screen. The cinematographers wisely take advantage of this and allow their cameras to linger on his face. Ten seconds of watching his face tells more of a story than most actors can convey in an hour of dialog. And Abigail Spencer as Amantha. What is not to like about Abigail Spencer? She is stunningly beautiful, and as equally stunning an actress as the strong sister who has been Daniel's only real support and believer through this whole ordeal. Adelaide Clemens is also memorable as a distant stepsister who never knew Daniel before he went away to prison, and who now wants only to save his soul for Jesus. Caveat emptor. This is slow, painstaking, we-will-tell-no-story-before-its-time storytelling. Some people in our soundbyte-sized, content-free media universe might not be able to cope with that well. If you're one of them, no shame, and no problem. But if you're not, and you demand more of the TV series you give your time to, you might want to consider giving a few hours to this one. My first impulse upon finishing the last of the six episodes was to want to go back and watch the whole series again. That's always a good sign, IMO. You can let it stand as my one-sentence review of "Rectify." <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-kTxNItURU> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-kTxNItURU> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-kTxNItURU <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-kTxNItURU>
