KATHY BRENNAN

I’ve read absolutely glowing, nearly deleriously joyful, reviews about the Netflix series, Black Earth Rising — the writing, the acting, the story, the superb acting of the lead actress. I’m up to episode 5 now, and I must admit I am captivated by the story, but the lead actress is starting to wear a little thin. The dead, zombie-like delivery of every line, is starting to grate. Everything, every point, is deliberately so drawn out. The dialog is stilted. At least in this episode. It is now beginning to feel less like an accurate, albiet embellished, portrayal of historical facts and more like a teacher making sure the class gets it for the next exam. Though I am committed to watching this to the end because the subject matter is so compelling, it’s now starting to feel less like an informed history lesson and more like I am being bludgeoned with the awfulness of history; it’s starting to feel like swimming through molasses. It also feels like a corrective PC feminist sledgehammer history lesson, whereby the message is if women were in charge...where the only humans of depth, value and the ability to lead the world are the young woman junior investigator and genocide survivor who has already attempted suicide (stable, her); the fearless older woman lawyer gunned down on the international stage pursuing justice; the resolute forward thinking female president of Rwanda; the female leader of the Tutsi army that invaded and stopped the genocide, the female clever State Department head. In this series all the men except one are portrayed as slimey, corrupt and evil and ready, willing and eager to dance with the devil for money and power. It’s just so stereotypically contrived.