Sharp Objects is an adaptation of a best-selling book by Gillian Flynn – the author of Gone girl, starring Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson, with same director as Big Little Lies. Need I say more?
SHARP OBJECT’S MAIN PLOT
The HBO series Sharp Objects opens with young Camille Peaker roller-skating in a little town called Wind Gap with her sister and sneaking back into their own house. This scene cuts to present day Camille played by Amy Adams who wakes up disoriented in a city. Upon her boss’s desire, Camille goes back to her hometown and immediately starts day drinking and smoking whilst driving. A tell-tale sign that she has some unresolved issues in this town and she has turned into an alcoholic and also a smoker. She’s primarily back in the town as a reporter to cover disappearance of two young girls which eventually turns into murders.
The whole time little snippets from Camille’s past, her flashbacks gives us hints about Camille’s traumatic childhood and with it, a little closer to her character. These violent flashbacks are a sure sign of PTSD. There are frequent flashbacks from her past blending perfectly well with her present day (kudos to the editing team.) You have to pay attention to these little snippets or you might a very important detail. This keeps you on your toes. The storytelling is just as smooth as the editing. Apart from the editing, cinematography and camerawork (particularly the framing) in this series, the mixture of original score and Led Zepplin songs, the undertone to it, the accuracy to it, the top-notch writing, casting and performances were all 10/10.
You’ll find Amy Adams delving into the depths of human darkness as Camille Peaker in this series. You may hate Adora (Camille’s mother) but you’ll love Patricia Clarkson for her incredible justice to Adora’s controlling and insane character. She pretty much makes it obvious to Camille that she is an embarrassment for her and still keeps Camille’s dead sister’s room well –kept like a museum – psychopath alert! Adora’s character always blames all the problems on somebody else and Camille usually takes the hit. We see Amy Adam’s brilliance on various occasions, some notable ones are when we finally see Camille’s horrific extent of self-harming in a dressing room; when she lets a young boy see her naked body – first time in a long while and the scene where Amy Adams pretty much bagged the Emmys – i.e when she realizes who the person behind all the murders is and breaks down while talking on the phone with her boss.
WHAT IS SHARP OBJECTS REALLY ABOUT?
There are some obvious and some underlying messages in this show. Camille has taken up self-harming as a coping mechanism. This becomes apparent in the ending of first episode where we see cuts all over Camille’s body made via various sharp objects which also gives the title to the show. This has led to low self-esteem and body issues. This may resonate with a lot people, especially young girls. The show also covers childhood trauma and how it may affect the upbringing/character of a child. Both the series as well as book has been successful in its attempt to show the world what it is like to survive a broken home, it even ends in a sour note that we may always be haunted by our past.
WILL THERE BE A SEASON TWO OF SHARP OBJECTS?
While Sharp Objects was initially intended to end as a single 8-episodes mini-series, the season finale has left us aghast. Though the first season’s ending has left us a potential for season 2, the cast and crew has been very vocal about the unlikeliness of another season. The biggest challenge would be to bring Amy Adams back as Camille Peaker in which case Sharp Objects may continue past its book.
Total episodes: 8 episodes
First episode date: July 8, 2018
Final episode date: August 26, 2018
Network: HBO
Cast: Amy Adams, Patricia Clarkson, Eliza Scanlen, Chris Messina, etc
