WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Disclaimer.
Apple’s new mystery thriller seriesDisclaimersees the long-awaited reunion of a renowned director-cinematographer duo. Cate Blanchett leads a talented ensemblecast ofDisclaimeras Catherine Ravenscroft, a hard-working and acclaimed television documentary journalist out of London, England.Disclaimeralso stars Sacha Baron Cohen as Robert, Catherine’s husband, Kodi Smit-McPhee as Nicholas, Robert and Catherine’s son, and Kevin Kline as Stephen Brigstocke, a local London man who has lost his wife and son.
Disclaimeris based on the 2015 bookof the same name written by Renée Knight. The Apple series marks Oscar-winning directorAlfonso Cuarón’s first return to television since 2014’sBelieve. Cuarón has won two Best Directing Academy Awards, one for 2013’sGravitystarring Sandra Bullock and another for his 2018 black and white filmRoma.Disclaimerhas earned an impressive Rotten Tomatoescritic score of 78%.
Alfonso Cuaron & Emmanuel Lubezki Reunited For Disclaimer, 11 Years After Gravity
Gravity won 7 Oscars including Best Director & Best Cinematographer
Emmanuel Lubezki, one of the greatest directors of photographers in film history, has reunited with Alfonso Cuarón in the Apple seriesDisclaimer.Lubezki has shot several of Cuarón’s moviesincluding some of the director’s most celebrated works such asChildren of Men(2006) andY Tu Mamá También(2001). The last project by Lubezki and Cuarón was 2013’s 7-time Oscar winnerGravitystarring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, more than a decade before the release ofDisclaimer. Lubezki and Cuarón’s collaborations date back to 1991’sLove in the Time of Hysteria.
Love in the Time of Hysteria(1991)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 67%
2 Oscar nominations
Rotten Tomatoes score: 39%
1 Oscar nomination
3 Oscar nominations
Gravity(2013)
Won 7 Oscars
Lubezki and Cuarón were both born in Mexico City and have been friends since adolescence. They attended the same film school at the National Autonomous University of Mexico where they worked ontheir very first collaboration, a 1983 short film titledVengeance Is Mine. While Lubezki has directed six of Cuarón’s professional feature films, he is also a frequent collaborator of two other auteur filmmakers, Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman,The Revenant) and Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life,The New World,To the Wonder). He has also worked with celebrated directors such as Michael Mann (Ali), The Coen Brothers (Burn After Reading), and David O. Russell (Amsterdam).
Disclaimer’s Cinematography Is Key To The Show’s Story
Lubezki and Cuarón put their signature stamp on Disclaimer through camerawork
Lubezki is essentially considered to be one of the most revered and skilled cinematographers working today. His work onDisclaimeradds to his historic filmography and alsomarks his first collaboration with 6-time Oscar nominee Bruno Delbonnel(Inside Llewyn Davis,Amélie,The Tragedy of Macbeth). There’s no question thatDisclaimeris heightened by the stellar and fluid camerawork of Lubezki and Delbonnel matched with the seasoned direction of Cuarón. Their mastery of the material is felt in their stunning shots and sequences, such as one scene in episode 4 where Catherine is crossing the road and almost gets hit by a taxi. Lubezki and Cuarón once again show how their combined efforts utilize the camera to enhance the story and can inspire awards season chatter withDisclaimer.
Disclaimer
Cast
Told in seven chapters, “Disclaimer” is based on the novel of the same name by Renée Knight. Acclaimed journalist Catherine Ravenscroft (Blanchett) built her reputation revealing the misdeeds and transgressions of others. When she receives a novel from an unknown author, she is horrified to realize she is now the main character in a story that exposes her darkest secrets. As Catherine races to uncover the writer’s true identity, she is forced to confront her past before it destroys both her own life and her relationships with her husband Robert (Sacha Baron Cohen) and their son Nicholas (Kodi Smit-McPhee).
