Netflix’s latest true crime series Unbelievable is as terrifying as it is fascinating
According to RAIN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), every 73 seconds, someone in North America is sexually assaulted. Of the perpetrators, less than 1% will go to prison.
These are the harrowing statistics that Unbelievable helps to highlight. The series, a dark and heart-breaking retelling of 18-year-old Marie Adler’s rape case, was released in September, but it will linger in your mind for years.
In just eight episodes, producer Susannah Grant recreated the true story of Marie’s journey, played by Kaitlyn Denver, from the rape she faced in her home in Washington state, to police malpractice during questioning and an astounding lack of support from her loved ones.
Unbelievable is an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning article which covered the same story, published on the investigative site ProPublica. It not only follows Marie’s own journey, but that of the two female detectives who years later played a large role in uncovering the truth.
The series is incredibly well made, accurately and carefully depicting the horrible and often misrepresented topic of sexual assault to create an incredibly emotive experience for those watching. Focusing on the sense of unknown, it avoids the clichés and voyeurisms that often accompany rape stories, telling the story of Marie’s emotions, conversations and life following the rape, instead of telling a simplified, graphic story about sexual assault.
It touches on the all-too-common theme of blaming victims for their own sexual assault, often done by nit-picking apart testimonies and claiming that rape accusations are fiction. It also very powerfully portrays how Marie Adler’s past, a history of living in foster homes and suffering abuse, played a large part in the lack of support she received. As we follow the events, we see how her living situation and history are key points to those involved, shown on screen to viewers and mentioned within the documentary itself as though they are character traits.
The eight episodes tell the story in two parts: by following Marie, and by following the two detectives who work on the case three years later. Toni Collette and Merritt Weaver, who play detectives Grace Rasmussen and Karen Duvall, do an impressive job of portraying a sense of fear and determination that convey the exact sense of horror viewers expect from detectives searching for a rapist. It is Kaitlyn Denver, however, who steals the show. The fear and panic that she portrays on screen is offset by a disorientating sense of disinterest and confusion, capturing Marie Adler’s emotions in their entirety and causing viewers themselves to question her integrity.
The show does so much more than reveal Marie’s truth, it tells the story of a broken criminal justice system, and the judgement that is placed on rape victims, especially those who do not come from the right background.
