Ava Duvernay’s new Netflix limited series When They See Us, based on the true story of the Central Park Five (Korey Wise, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, and Yusef Salaam) is able to do what few television series have ever done — if ever. The series is able to be a great, compelling television series, as well as an impactful social commentary on race, the criminal justice system, the media, and a plethora of real life issues — that were apparent in both 1989, and today in 2019.
When They See Us is a wildly apt name for this series because when you see the story of the Central Park Five as told by Duvernay — it will drop you where you stand. This show will stagger you, and you will feel it emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. You will cry, you will be angry, you will be forced to take stock of your beliefs, and re-examine the world around you. And this happens multiple times in every single episode.
The brilliance of Duvernay’s work is that the series and its message never feels heavy-handed, preachy, or emotionally manipulative. And given the actual facts of the arrest, trial, incarceration, release, and eventual exoneration of the Central Park Five, Duvernay doesn’t need to be heavy-handed, preachy, or emotionally manipulative. What she does is complement the reality of the Central Park Five’s situations with brilliant cinematography, stellar production design, subtle musical work, and getting phenomenal performances from her cast.
The cast of When They See Us is a perfect balance of familiar names, and fresh faces destined for greatness. John Leguizamo, Niecy Nash, Felicity Huffman, and Michael Kenneth Williams all deliver terrific performances — some might argue this is a career best for them. The teenage and adult actors portraying the Central Park Five are all excellent. The young actors (Asante Blackk, Caleel Harris, Ethan Herisse, Marquis Rodriguez) really drive home the horrors of the police investigation and trial, while the adult actors (Justin Cunningham, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, Freddy Miyares) strongly portray the struggle four of the five experience post-jail.
However, it’s Jharrel Jerome who is the star of this series (and should become a household name after this series). Initially making a name for himself in Best Picture Winner, Moonlight, Jerome delivers what will most likely be the best performance on television in 2019. As the only actor portraying a member of the Five (Korey Wise) as both a teenager, and adult, Jerome’s performance is absolutely haunting.
The choice to have Jerome portray both roles is an inspired piece of casting, and in hindsight was the right decision. Since Wise, unlike the rest of the Five, was sent directly to adult prison we see more his journey in prison than the others, and it’s heartbreaking to watch Jerome as Wise grow up in the prison system. Jerome is actually given the majority of the final episode as a near one-man play, and you will live and die with him in every moment. That entire episode of his Emmy moment.
Everything that makes When They See Us a great television series makes it that much more effective as a work of social commentary. Duvernay is unflinching in her portrayal of what happened to these boys, and that makes the show’s message about racial injustice loud and clear. The director does not look past Donald Trump’s involvement in the Central Park Five’s story. Since it is one of the most famous aspects of the case, Duvernay allows his words and actions speak for themselves. In fact, she uses them as a necessary footnote to examine the media’s all too eagerness to fuel the fire of the police investigation, thus sentencing them before a trial even began.
To an even greater degree, what this series does is turn the mirror on the viewer. It puts you in the shoes of the police looking to find a rapist, young boys and young men wrongfully interrogated and imprisoned, of parents and their feelings of failure, and as a spectator watching the entire case in hindsight. The series makes you question how’d you react in each of these situations. When They See Us is that slap of reality, something great art can do, to show you that something this tragic happened within the last 30 years in that “liberal bastion” New York City. This wasn’t pre-Civil Rights Movement. This wasn’t in some far-off country. This was in “the greatest city in the world,” it happened recently, and that people — both prominent and not — were calling for the execution of these boys.
The words used here probably do not do Ava Duvernay’s adaptation of the Central Park Five’s case any justice. There are so many moments that could be discussed in greater detail. There’s things that were probably missed upon first viewing. But, all that can be said is this — When They See Us is great television, and it is a great piece of art that will hopefully ignite more necessary conversations that need to be happening right now.
When They See Us is now streaming on Netflix.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3F9n_smGWY
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