Stream ‘Alias Grace’

It’s been a great year for Margaret Atwood.

With Hulu’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ inspiring a flurry of think pieces and currently the author with the incisive, relevant, feminist goods, Atwood’s latest to be adapted for screen is her 1996 historical fiction ‘Alias Grace’ which recently spawned a Netflix series of the same name.

Adapted by Sarah Polley and directed by Mary Harron, ‘Alias Grace’ stars an excellent Sarah Gadon as the titular character. Reimagining the life of a 16-year-old Irish murderess accused of killing her employers in 19th century Canada, the six-episode series is a binge-worthy psychological “did she or didn’t she?”

Centering young Grace Marks in a story in which she is alternately pitied and maligned, the series alights on the alleged murderess 15 years after her conviction as a psychologist interviews her for a possible pardon.

Unreliable in her narration and seemingly skirting around the murderous events in question, Grace is enigmatic but inscrutable as she tries to navigate a society in which her low birth and foreign status leave her dodging the drunken advances of her father, the entitled sexual harassment by her employers and the sheer jealousy of her superior.

A comment on the treatment of immigrants and the mentally ill, class and a society which, much like right now, excuses the indiscretions of men while piling shame on women for any hint of sexual confidence and autonomy, ‘Alias Grace’ is a period film for today despite its events occurring over 150 years ago.

Embellished, intriguing but rooted in the real double murder, Atwood’s and now Polley’s story is one of a possible identity swap and the occult written, produced and directed by women in a world in which the author continues to hit the mark.

‘Alias Grace’ (2017) is now streaming on Netflix.

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