Wednesday 19 June 2024

Eric (2024 Lucy Forbes, writer Abi Morgan)

1980s New York. An alcoholic, hallucinating children's show puppeteer neglects his nine year old son (Ivan Howe), who then goes missing. Benedict Cumberbatch does these manic roles so well. His wife who looks familiar is only Gaby Hoffman!

McKinley Belcher III is the missing persons detective, harbouring a secret in that his lover is not only a man, but one who's dying of AIDS. He manages to dig into the corruption in the force and in politics, partly through his relationship with a previous lover.

Dan Fogler (from Fantastic Beasts) is Cumberbatch's puppet partner. Bamar Kane finds the boy, Clarke Peters is a caretaker.

A six-parter for Netflix. It was partly based on Abi Morgan's own time as a nanny in 1980s New York. It was very good. Forbes also directed This Is Going To Hurt.

New York is played by itself, though interiors were shot on sets in Budapest.

There's a quick reference to Seneca Village in the final episode, a community in the 1850s of African-American and Irish homeowners who were involuntarily relocated when Central Park was developed - not a well known bit of NYC history.

It was filmed in 1.66:1, for a change. I didn't notice.

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