After Honey Boy, director Alma Har’el appeared ready to take over the world. She took home the First-time Director award from the DGA and wowed many with her showcase feature. However, sometimes it takes a minute to find the right project, and lucky for us, Alma Har’el found Lady in the Lake. Based on the acclaimed novel by Laura Lippman, Har’el directs all seven episodes of the 1960’s set murder mystery. Told from the perspectives of a Jewish journalist and a black bookkeeper, the story dives into the racial and misogynistic politics of the era. Har’el dives into the intricacies of the story with vigor, creating a deeply satisfying journey with brutal honesty about its characters.

Lady in the Lake – The Plot

In 1960s Baltimore, a young girl named Tessie Fine goes missing. For Maddie Schwartz (Natalie Portman), the girl’s disappearance becomes a wake-up call. She joins the search for Fine’s body and wonders about resuming her hope to become a journalist. Meanwhile, Cleo Johnson (Moses Ingram) is a bartender and off-the-books accountant for organized crime. Cleo wants to work in politics but appears corrupt while she works for Shell Gordon (Wood Harris). When Cleo goes missing, and her body turns up in a Baltimore lake, Maddie’s pursuit of Tessie’s disappearance becomes shockingly intertwined with Cleo’s.

The Critique

Har’el showcases her talent early, allowing Lady in the Lake to stand out as visual spectacle from Episode 1. Early on, it appears similar to popular true-crime or murder-inspired shows like Sharp Objects or Nine Perfect Strangers. However, Har’el elevates Lady in the Lake above those with her visual panache, which comes through over the back half of the series. Playing on tropes and visuals of noir, she keeps us on the edge of our seats.

Where Lady in the Lake impresses most is the storytelling around Maddie. Her character contains multitudes, and Har’el knows she cannot paint her as a positive role model. However, she’s also not the “trainwreck” trope we’ve seen in some of these series. Maddie aspires for more, not only because she’s bored of the housewife routine but because she expects more out of herself. Her steps into the world outside of her marriage could be kept secret in lesser stories. Instead, Maddie takes a giant leap and burns the bridge to safety on her way out the door. It makes for a compelling story of a character who actively puts themselves in danger while highlighting her intellect.

Portman rules the screen throughout, and Lady in the Lake excels when she’s in control. It’s an emotionally tight story, even as Portman plays Maddie throughout the years. Har’el’s choice to let her play a teenager and adult mother of a teenage son keys us into how some events grow us up faster than you’d think. Additionally, Lady in the Lake taps into the idea that we do not see a difference in who we are as the years go by until you look into the mirror. Portman remains one of the best actresses working, and Lady in the Lake highlights her abilities. She brings pathos and pain into every scene, helping to convey the tragedy of her life.

Ingram also gets standout moments, though her plotline feels far less intricate than Portman’s. The former Obi-Wan actress steals the show for scenes at a time, but the story does not allow her to rise to Portman’s level. Instead, it feels like a C or D plot in the overarching story even though the back half of the story focuses on Ingram’s fate.

That’s partially an acknowledgment from Har’el that she’s not the best person to tell the Civil Rights aspects of the story, but at the same time, it does leave Lady in the Lake feeling uneven. It does not help that much of the story relies on Ingram’s voiceover, which feels cheap as a way to generate some of the show’s ideas. Unfortunately, this becomes the weakest plotline of the story, but it is necessary for Lady in the Lake to reach its conclusion.

The rest of the cast rises to meet the challenge. Performances from Y’lan Noel and Mikey Madison showcase their potential. Noel, in particular, feels poised to become the show’s breakout star. Imbuing Ferdie with nuanced ideas and feelings gets to the heart of many of the issues in Lady in the Lake. Madison brings the counter-culture into the story. Josiah Cross continues to build momentum after displaying excellence in One Thousand and One last year and Masters of the Air earlier this year.

Finally, a group of experienced actors delivered some inconsistent results. Wood Harris makes for a wild and scary antagonist. The actor gets the totemic roles one hopes he continues to book in the future. Noah Jupe reunites with Har’el after Honey Boy, but his character lands like a wet blanket over the story. There’s no nuance here, and it seems to play rage exclusively. It’s too one-level to leave any imprint. Finally, Brett Gelman does a fine job, but it’s a role we’ve seen him play before. There’s not much new on display, though he does play the character as well as one could hope.

Conclusion

There’s a lot about Lady in the Lake that feels essential. It’s likely to join a class in the same sphere as Sharp Objects and Presumed Innocent, both capable but imperfect mysteries. However, its inability to balance its two primary storylines prevents it from joining the elite shows in the subgenre. Despite this, expect a big resurgence next year come Emmy time. If nothing else, a later episode of the series will end as one of the year’s best episodes.

8/10

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