Looking for a review of the series Fawn? This autobiographical mini-series, in our article we have prepared for you a review of this dark masterpiece. When I started watching the new Netflix miniseries Fawn, I couldn't get out of my head: How much of this story is true? It can't all be true." And then, when I finished watching the series, having used half a box of tissues and eaten a bowl of popcorn, I was shocked to learn that Fawn is not only a true story, but also an autobiographical one. Not only is it autobiographical, but lead star Richard Gadd, who plays main character Donnie, is the show's creator—meaning Gadd is literally reenacting a fictionalized version of some of the most traumatic scenes of his life. The series touches on themes of ambition and fame, trauma, obsession, mental illness, sexuality and shame. What's impressive about Fawn is that it does all this over the course of seven episodes. The series literally grabs your interest and doesn't let go until the very end. After watching it, I felt physically and mentally exhausted, but there was no doubt that I was in awe of Gadd's masterpiece.
What is the book Deer about?
The film Fawn begins in 2015, when a bartender named Donny (Gadd) buys a cup of tea for a customer who comes in. Her name is Martha (Jessica Gunning). After this random act of kindness, Martha begins to become attracted to Donny. She comes to the pub every day, saying she's a lawyer and was just stopping for a minute, but ends up chatting to Donny for hours. As Martha's affection for Donnie grows, he realizes that she is not just in love with him, but obsessed with him. It all ends when he goes to perform a comedy show, and Martha is nearby.
From this point on, the story spirals deeper and deeper into the psyches of Martha and Donnie. Martha's stalking moves from emails to Facebook messages to physically stalking Donnie at his home and stalking his family. We also learn more about Donny's past and the trauma he has experienced, which allows us to explain how he ended up in a bar and living in his ex-girlfriend's mother's house. As Martha becomes more obsessive and even violent, Donnie becomes increasingly entangled in her affairs, trying to gather enough evidence to use against her.
Richard Gadd is a master at crushing your soul with Fawn.
What's so disarming about Fawn is the way the narrative sneaks up on you. At the beginning of the series, Donnie seems like an ordinary guy. Yes, he's being stalked by a mentally ill woman, but he's not exactly a perfect person. As a comedian, he is horribly and at times offensive. He also lies to Teri (Nawa Mau), whom he is dating, and seems to have an innate transphobia when it comes to seeing her. So while Donny is certainly Martha's victim, he has his own problems.
But as Fawn slowly peels away the layers of Donnie's life, the old assumptions no longer hold true. As Donnie unravels, so does his façade, and what we discover underneath is utterly devastating. Gadd offers a mid-series flashback episode in episode four that completely changes our understanding of Donnie. He's not just a failed comedian who seems stuck in a dead-end job he hates; he is a man haunted by serious sexual abuse and crippled by self-loathing and alienation from his own sexuality. Gadd tries not to give himself away completely, offering only bits of comedy in the first three episodes to lure us into a false sense of security.
Up to this point, the series has been serious without being completely destructive. After the fourth episode, we fully understand Donnie's truth and the difficulties he has faced. Recent breakups, struggles with sexuality, career difficulties, and even his relationship with Martha appear in a new light. Connecting all the dots in Donnie's life with an afterthought is an absolutely heartbreaking task, and it's where Gadd achieves his genius.
Martha is not a villain in the series Fawn - and that's good
We continue our review of the series Fawn in the image of Martha. Martha from the Fawn series is, of course, not a very good person. She's an experienced and convicted stalker, but Gadd doesn't paint her in a traditional light. She's not as conniving as you think, and while you may find yourself screaming at the screen for Donnie to just get away from her, it's also not hard to imagine why Donnie would like her. As viewers, we must blame Martha, especially as she gets worse and her crimes escalate. But it's hard to forget that at the center of this disturbing character is a woman who is seriously mentally ill. You should feel sorry for her, just like Donnie.
In fact, while Martha is Donnie's stalker and the cause of many of his problems, she is not the true villain of the story. That title belongs to Darrien (Tom Goodman-Hill), a serial rapist and monstrous figure. The show makes it clear that we're meant to have conflicting feelings about Martha, and the glimpses we get into her life as the mask slips show someone vulnerable and fragile. She can be incredibly cruel and manipulative, but that doesn't stop her from being a complex figure.
The performances of the little fawns make the show a must-see.
Praise could be given to Richard Gadd, whose script, voice and acting make Fawn a masterpiece, but Jessica Gunning also deserves her colours, playing the different facets of Martha superbly. One moment she is cheerful and awkwardly flirting, and the next she is menacing and shouting obscenities. Gunning captures all the nuances of a character who could very easily become a two-dimensional villain.
Along with Gunning, Nava Mau is also fantastic and charming as Teri, Donny's girlfriend and the voice of reason in his life. Given Teri's confidence in herself as a transgender woman, she also sometimes seems too good to be true to Donnie. At the same time, Tom Goodman-Hill conveys Darrien's quirkiness and arrogance, as well as his cruelty and bullying. Goodman-Hill's performance is impeccably creepy, and just watching him interact with Donny will give you goosebumps. Of course, Gadd dominates this production. He gives it his all in every scene, especially the monologue in the penultimate episode. The casual narration of his inner thoughts, as well as the way Donnie presents himself and how his physical condition slowly deteriorates during the pursuit, make the series unforgettable.
Fawn is a hard story to tell.
We finish our review of the series Fawn about the difficult life of the heroes. After watching Fawn in its entirety, we have one complaint: Netflix's ratings at the beginning of episodes are simply not good enough. Some scenes may cause overt reactions in the audience. For people sensitive to sexual violence, the series explores the feelings that arise during and after violence. This is an honest and in-depth look at the complex emotions a survivor of abuse experiences, as well as the complex relationship they may have with their abuser.
It's a difficult story, but one that is beautifully told and important. Not once did it feel like Fawn was sticking a finger in your face or trying to teach you a lesson disguised as a Netflix series. But the candid and personal nature of the story ends up being a window into a person's life and experiences that we don't often see in movies and television. For this reason, and many others, Fawn deserves both his time in the spotlight and the praise he receives. Nothing compares to this series, and its unique story makes it vital to the television landscape.
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