(may contain spoilers)
Douban rating: 8.5
Director: Weronika Tofilska, Josephine Bornebusch
Starring: Richard Gadd, Jessica Gunning, Nava Mau
Douban Comments: “The character Donny shows the contradictions in human nature really well. His inner conflict comes not only from his own desires and personality but also because Martha is truly a unique person. She makes people feel both scared and sorry for her, and she often says things that hit right at the truth. Most importantly, she makes Donny feel like he exists. This is a story about one unfortunate person meeting another unfortunate person.”
“What a profound journey of self-exploration. It’s hard to imagine how much pain and inner conflict the writer must have gone through to create such a script. The female director’s portrayal is also incredibly delicate. The best part of the entire show is the main character’s descent into corruption through seduction, followed by his intense self-exploration. The endless torment, confusion, and his deeply complex feelings toward the stalker are portrayed so well. The line, ‘there’s one thing I love more than I love her, which is hating myself’, resonates deeply with the emotional weight of the scene where the male lead, sitting in a bar with tears streaming down his face, finally realizes: ‘I’ve found the one person in the world who can make me stop hating myself, and that person is my stalker’.
The raw confession of ‘You failed to break me, but I end up breaking myself’ encapsulates the theme so powerfully. This show feels like Netflix’s greatest gift of 2024.”
“The story has a fresh and unique theme. It puts a man in the position of being watched, stalked, harassed, and even seduced, which is different from the usual narratives. It also includes topics like transgender and diverse gender issues. While it’s not a big production, it’s very well-made and enjoyable to watch. The female lead character is especially well-developed and stands out in the story.”
“The scariest thing in this world is when people who have been abused or bullied never truly heal. Instead, their pain turns into patterns of how they treat others – as if hurting others can somehow make their own sadness hurt less. It’s disturbing, but it’s also the reality. Data even shows that many people who were bullied end up bullying others too. Human nature isn’t as simple as we’d like to think.
I just watched a really heartbreaking show. I feel like the male lead was always trying to understand why Martha became who she was. And in that final moment, he might have suddenly realized how his one small act of kindness, which was just offering her a cup of tea, eventually led to everything that happened. It was the result of so much misfortune building up over time.
Of course, hurting someone else is never excusable, no matter how much pain you’ve been through. But sadly, this feels like how the real world works. Maybe true heroism is found in those few people who are able to resist this cycle.”
