This four part mini-series, adapted from Elizabeth Strout’s novel of the same name, stars France McDormand (who also bought the rights to the novel, and was executive producer) as the titular character, and spans 25 years of Olive’s life in small town Maine. It also stars Richard Jenkins as her husband Henry, John Gallagher Jr as her son Christopher, and a large cast of other supporting characters.
It’s not an easy watch, but my goodness, this series was so compelling that I could not bear to tear my eyes away and watched all four hour long episodes in one sitting. Olive is not always a likeable character; in fact most of the time, she is downright rude, and often cruel to those around her, especially Henry. Despite everything, her husband loves her dearly, and never stops trying to show his affection. In contrast to his wife, Henry is kind, compassionate and good-hearted – as the town pharmacist, he is popular and well-loved in the community, although the same cannot be said of his wife. Nonetheless, Olive is always, ALWAYS an interesting character. She is capable of occasional kindness, but never of warmth, and she cites her family’s history of depression as one reason for this.
The whole cast, but particularly McDormand and Jenkins, were absolutely stunning and heartbreaking. I really felt for poor Henry, who Olive spoke to so harshly, and also for her son Christopher, who as he grows up, finds his own way of dealing with the coldness of his mother. Despite everything, I ended up feeling sorry for Olive, as she ends up alienating almost everyone (although she would have hated to be pitied). The show featured other people who live in the same town as Olive, and how she and Henry interact with them – the storyline about a former student of hers named Kevin Coulson was particularly touching, and Cory Michael Smith put in a truly touching performance in the role.
This is not the show to watch if you are in need of cheering up, but if you like good drama, and outstanding acting, then please see this if you can. It is one of the best mini series I have ever watched, and I will definitely return to it at a later date.
Year of release: 2014
Director: Lisa Cholodenko
Producers: Frances McDormand, Jane Anderson, Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks, Steve Shareshian, David Coatsworth
Writers: Elizabeth Strout, Jane Anderson
Main cast: Frances McDormand, Richard Jenkins, John Gallagher Jr., Peter Mullan, Zoe Kazan, Cory Michael Smith
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