"A Crowded Room" - a series in which Tom Holland played a man with a mental disorder
Miscellaneous / / June 09, 2023
The Secret History of Billy Milligan has a free-form adaptation.
The Crowded Room premiered on Apple TV+ on June 9 with three episodes. The first season draws on Daniel Keyes' nonfiction novel The Curious Case of Billy Milligan, about a man diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder. It is assumed that the next seasons will also be devoted to mental illness.
The series was directed by Cornel Mundruzo (White God) and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (I Am Legend, The Da Vinci Code). Starring Tom Holland ("Spider-Man: No Way Home"), Amanda Seyfried ("Spider-Man: No Way Home")Munk”), Emmy Rossum (“Shameless”), Christopher Abbott (“Catch-22”).
Danny Sullivan apprehended after attempted murder. Investigators can't find the accomplice Sullivan keeps talking about. During the interrogation, the man talks about his life and the people who surrounded him. Gradually, both he and the investigator realize that many of his friends never actually existed.
Predictability is tiring
Predictability is the main problem of the series, which complicates viewing. Prior to release, Apple TV reports that The Crowded Room is based on
Keyes' novel. If you have read a book (or at least a Wikipedia page), then you already understand that you will see a story about a person who has more than 20 personalities in his head. However, the series develops as if you don't know it. The moment that reveals the essence of the hero has been moved to the middle of the season. Therefore, the first three episodes simply hint at the subsequent "unexpected" plot twist.Watching A Crowded Room is like playing thimbles with a child. It is very difficult to retell the events of the first three episodes - simply because nothing happens. It seems that the first scene of the first episode, in conjunction with synopsis reported more about the protagonist than the next two-plus hours.
Tightness is annoying
The plot develops too slowly, so the attention is drawn to the details. And it's sad for them. The first truly tense moment occurs only in the third series. The romantic relationship of the protagonist is also not impressive - they are too boring.
Sometimes Sullivan recalls another episode from his life, and during the time that the flashback is going on, you begin to forget what he is talking about at all. If the interrogation and retelling of the biography of the protagonist were more specific, then the timing would easily be halved.
Danny is surrounded by completely uninteresting people. A good worried mother, an evil stepfather, a stranger savior, adventurer friend - and each character is made as lazily as possible. A good cast smooths out problems, but not always.
But if some characters are just boring, then others, on the contrary, are too eccentric. In principle, already by this division one can understand who really exists and who is Danny's next personality.
Holland pleases
For several years, they tried to film the story of Billy Milligan, and each new project attracted famous actors - Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, Leonardo DiCaprio and other. Playing the role of a person with “multiple personalities” is an opportunity to demonstrate one’s versatility. Suffice it to recall the admiration that James McAvoy received after Split. As a result, Milligan (or a character similar to him) was played by Tom Holland and he did it perfectly.
First of all, Holland appears in the image downtrodden teenagerwho has problems both at school and in the family. It's funny that in the role of his mother - Emmy Rossum, who is only 9 years older than Tom, but on the screen they look natural. Sometimes (as far as the script allows) Holland pleases with expression. The actor does everything so that at least his personal fans can watch the series. At the same time, formally, he remains in the same role that he was in Spider-Man, which slightly devalues the performance - he has already played a similar character.
"Crowded Room" looks like a series that makes the viewer look like a fool. A minimum of information, a minimum of plot, but an abundance of memories that do not affect what is happening. The authors had a bright story, but they decided to stretch it out over 10 episodes - it has faded so much that even the first episodes look faded. But if you just want to see Tom Holland on the screen, then you can turn on the series - although it's better to reconsider "Spiderman', there's something going on.
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