Disclaimer  (Apple TV+) 

By: Rachel Brodeur

Apple TV’s Disclaimer pushes the artform of what television can accomplish. Viewers are best going into the limited series, directed by four time Academy Award winner Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity, Roma), with minimal information, because the journey is very much a part of the narrative, but there are a few elements that audiences can and probably should know before embarking on this six episode limited series. 

Disclaimer is a drama that tells the story of a mysterious tragedy uncovered partially in flashbacks and through multiple points of view. It starts with a young couple on a vacation to Italy. They appear to be students, freshly graduated, the epitome of young and reckless love. When the story switches to an elderly man in present day England, questions arise: how is he connected to the couple? How much time has passed? However, with Disclaimer, answers are not given; they are earned. 

Disclaimer requires an active viewer, willing to weave together threads of a story, to infer, to discern, and to question. It is because of the effort involved that the second half of Disclaimer is far more gripping than the first. Through the scenes from the present, the audience knows that there is something about that vacation that stays with these people involved. In the present day, no one is happy, and not everyone is alive. Different omniscient narrators are responsible for different parts of the story. The disembodied voices create a distance between the viewer and the subjects, and this distance, along with a lack of clarity on how the characters across timelines intersect with one another, contribute to an atmosphere of confusion and even discomfort. 

Star Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth, Tár) is known for her movie roles of characters with depth and complexity, and this is true of her portrayal of the controversial Catherine Ravenscroft. It’s unclear why her past torments her and those details are only revealed through flashbacks in which her past self, played by Leila George (Mortal Engines) finds herself in an  illicit entanglement during those same crucial days in Italy. 

Normally, content warnings can speak for themselves, but the level of sexuality and how it’s used in the series deserves special consideration and audiences should be prepared. Yes, there’s nudity, and no it is not subtle, but while it seems gratuitous at first, those who finish the series will agree that it is essential. Disclaimer is anything but ordinary. It is a show that asks a lot of its viewers, but those that trust the process will find there are many layers to this drama. 

Rachel’s Rating: 7.5/10   Disclaimer (Apple TV+) challenges audiences to infer connections across timelines and grapple with its unsettling subject matter, which includes mature themes handled with intentional provocative intensity. Anchored by Cate Blanchett's nuanced performance, Disclaimer is a bold, unconventional experience that rewards patient and discerning viewers.