Dr. Jordan considers the frail young woman before him with one job: to psychologically evaluate her in support of her innocence for a brutal double murder conviction. Her gentle demeanor and soft-spoken words do not paint the picture of a “murderess.” But in 1843 Upper Canada, Irish maid Grace Marks has been the subject of public fascination due to her involvement, along with fellow servant McDermott, in the murder of her former master and housekeeper. Some say she is insane, others a calculated cold-blooded killer, while some, like those paying Dr. Jordan to evaluate her, believe she is an ignorant impressionable young girl with a traumatic past coerced into being an accomplice to the killings. There is something imperceptible brewing behind the stillness of Grace’s piercing blue eyes.
Alias Graceis a Netflix series based on Margaret Atwood’s debut novel, released shortly after the premiere ofanother Atwood adaptation,The Handmaid’s Tale.The Handmaid’s Taledystopian drama explosively captured attention across the world, whereas the smaller-scope, hauntingly cerebral dramaAlias Gracemay have been lost in the shadows.
LikeThe Handmaid’s Tale,Alias Gracecenters the narrative around women and women’s power, or lack thereof, in a constraining society. But that’s perhaps where all similarities end. Based on a true story that enthralled the masses in the 19th Century,Alias Graceexamines how the truth is just the narrative that is most widely believed. Playing out in a raptly confined way on-screen, the story ofAlias Gracewill unfurl its wings inside your mind for days to come.
An Alias Grace Adaptation Has Been a Long Time Coming
Sarah Polley is in the spotlight this year for adapting and directingthe Academy award-winning filmWomen Talking.But flashback two decades ago, when a 17-year-old Polley wrote to Atwood asking to option her novelAlias Graceto make a TV Series. Atwood initially turned her down. But Polley couldn’t let this story go, and 20 years later worked with Atwood to bringAlias Graceto Netflix withdirector Mary Harron(American Psycho).
Atwood’s book about the female psyche in a far from romanticized Victorian era entangled with the ambiguity of truth gripped Polley from the start. She knewthis story had to reach the screen.
Related:Every Movie Directed by Sarah Polley, Ranked
Stories, Truth, and Ambiguity
The structure ofAlias Graceshows Grace telling her side of the story to Dr. Jordan during patient sessions where she explains her past leading up to the murders, with flashbacks to scenes that play out the story she is telling. But the more Grace reveals, the less certain Dr. Jordan becomes that he can prove her innocence, and he begins to lose his mind in the pursuit of the truth.
Sarah Gordon gives a transfixing performance as Grace, capturing the essence of Atwood’s novel. The audience questions her every blink, every small twitch of the lips, with the desperation building to pinpoint what is really going on inside the character’s mind. The deepest glimpses given into Grace’s guarded and troubled thoughts are through pieces of narration in each episode that are quotes from Atwood’s novel. Grace’s language in her mind is many things at once: eloquent, beautiful, melancholy, and alarming. A puzzle just like the story Grace tells to Dr. Jordan.
An Unreliable Narrator
Another thrilling element of this series is that it is told through Grace’s perspective, and it starts to unravel that she isa very unreliable narrator. Whether that is by choice, necessity, or unawareness is left for the viewer to decide. Grace tries (or perhaps appears to try) to explain the truth amidst all these stories already being told about her in the media and public eye deciding who she is. No matter what story she tells Dr. Jordan, will she even be believed? Being a woman in this Victorian society, nonetheless an immigrant servant, she has learned again and again how little power her voice has.
The Sensationalism of True Crime
There are eerie parallels between thisVictorian-era storyto today, where the modern fascination with true crime cases and speculation around them cause stories to be spun, deciding who people are in the court of public opinion. In many cases of adversity, speaking up feels useless due to the fear of not being believed.
InAlias Grace, we see that every character around Grace, in both the past and present, sees her as a means to an end that benefits themselves. Whether it be the wealthy daughter of the mayor who has a morbid fascination with the dark capacities of a potential “murderess,” or Dr. Jordan with his sexualized view of Grace. While considering Dr. Jordan’s quizzical gaze, Grace thinks to herself, “You want to open up my body and peer inside. In your hand, you want to hold my beating female heart.” Grace also recounts later about a key figure in her life that “he likes to picture the sufferings I’ve endured. He listens to all of it, like a child listening to a fairy tale.”
This asks a deeper question, reflective of today regarding the popularity of the true crime genre bringing traumatic true stories to the screen. What are the reasons behind the fascination with the sufferings others have endured? Which perspective is actually being shown? The introspective genre self-awareness ofAlias Graceleaves the viewer questioning the roots of this true-crime sensationalism.
Related:Murder Mysteries vs True Crime: Is It Time to Turn Toward Fiction
After a 15-minute sequence in the final episode that adds yet another nail-biting dimension to the endless possibilities of the truth, the epilogue ofAlias Graceslowly grinds to a halt, leaving many questions unanswered.
But Grace’s story, whether that of the protagonist or antagonist, continues, stirring in the back of the mind.
