Lady in the Lake movie review (2024)

While the merging of the two stories may not always seem to flow as seamlessly as it should however, it’s impossible not to be fascinated in the two stories Maddie and Cleo’s distinct lives.

By Kaiya Shunyata

\Cleo is often heard recounting the story at hand through narration, but after the first episode she takes a much larger role. Ingram and Portman share almost as much screen time as the other, and the show is all the better for it. Her character’s name, Cleopatra, is one that commands power and it’s fitting for a character played by Ingram, who feels revelatory to watch. With each tear that leaves her eye and each broken word that leaves her mouth, you feel as if you’re watching a star be born. The series is at its most interesting when she’s on screen, and thankfully, it’s apparent that Har’el and her camera both know this.

Cameras also frame the surrounding characters and sets beautifully. There’s a lot of club scenes in “Lady in the Lake,” however, there’s an exclusive scene with Ingram during Episode 3 that stands out as a standout in the series. After being witness to something she shouldn’t be experiencing which begins to reverberate through her every move, Cleo takes to the club to shake off her inhibitions. Ingram dances like she’s releasing spirits, her feet pounding on the dance floor until they almost drown out the stage singer. Har’el frames the dancers like she’s filming people attending a church service and is aware of the connection between dancing and freedom.

This is the reason why “Lady in the Lake” is the finest version of itself: where long plotlines are discarded for a dazzling sequence that showcases the talents of everyone from musicians to the directors on the screen. This only gets better with each episode. Although the pilot was uninteresting, Har’el as well as everyone involved increase the stakes each episode until it is among the top intriguing limited series that can be found in a post”Big Little Lies” Big Little Lies” world. In a world of streaming that is packed to the brim with shows like this it is a huge task to distinguish them. It’s as the entire team involved in this show did their best and the end result is amazing to see.