(courtesy IMP Awards)
SNAPSHOT
When Apollo’s father disappeared, he left his son a box of books & strange recurring dreams. Now Apollo is a father himself–and as he and his wife, Emma, settle into their new lives as parents, exhaustion and anxiety start to take their toll. Apollo’s old dreams return and Emma begins acting odd… At first Emma seems to be exhibiting signs of postpartum depression. But before Apollo can do anything to help, Emma commits a horrific act and vanishes. Thus begins Apollo’s quest to find a wife and child who are nothing like he’d imagined. His odyssey takes him to a forgotten island, a graveyard full of secrets, a forest where immigrant legends still live, and finally back to a place he thought he had lost forever. The Changeling is a series created & showrun by Kelly Marcel, a screenwriter on Fifty Shades of Grey, Cruella, Venom, and Venom: Let There Be Carnage. It’s also written by Marcel, adapted from Victor LaValle’s novel of the same name. The pilot episode was directed by Melina Matsoukas (Queen & Slim, Insecure). With more episodes directed by Jonathan van Tulleken, Dana Gonzales, and Slick Naim. Executive produced by Kelly Marcel, Melina Matsoukas, David Knoller, Megan Ellison, Sue Naegle, Patrick Chu, Ali Krug, David Wolkis, Lakeith Stanfield. (courtesy First Showing)
It’s exciting to stumble across a series that promises a riotously unsettling romp into a reality not our own and which asks how well we know the world and those who are close to us?
The Changeling, based on a book I haven’t read but clearly must somehow add to to near-the-top of my 500-strong TBR, promises magical fantasy mixed with some grounded humanity, the sort of combination that makes for truly affecting fantasy, the kind that beguiles and makes you think hard all at once.
It looks bewitchingly magnificent, the kind of storytelling that looks at the long line of programs on your must-watch and muscles forward to the head of the queue, with your full permission, all too aware you need to experience the tale it will impactfully tell.
The Changeling begins streaming on AppleTV+ on 8 September.