In the aptly-titled limited series “Sharp Objects,” viewers come to learn that emotional wounds are what cut the deepest.
HBO’s newest hit drama provides a mix of dark pasts and mystery – topped off with southern charm. Based off of a novel by Gillian Flynn (author of the best-seller “Gone Girl”), “Sharp Objects” will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final minute.
Amy Adams stars in the lead role as Camille Preaker, a young journalist returning to her hometown of Wind Gap, Missouri on assignment to cover the gruesome murders of two teenage girls.
Camille’s troubled past comes into view early on. Years after tragedy, Camille remains haunted by the death of her younger sister Marian and adopts dangerous coping mechanisms to deal with her grief.
Whether it be keeping vodka disguised in a water bottle within an arm’s reach at all times, having constant visions of her dead younger sister, or — most notably — entering rehab for compulsively cutting words into her entire body, Camille has an ominous past that controls her everyday life.
Proving that you never know what literally lies beneath the surface of someone, Camille’s dangerous habits and relationship with sharp objects pose a stark contrast to her high school reputation as the “prettiest girl in Wind Gap.”
Upon her arrival to her hometown, it is immediately apparent that Camille’s all-black wardrobe represents a clear divergence from her privileged upbringing. She returns to her childhood home – a beautiful Victorian mansion, where her mother, Adora, step father, Alan, and half-sister, Amma, reside.
Viewers quickly learn the value that Adora places on her family’s reputation as the Wind Gap elite. An extreme hypochondriac who expresses favoritism towards both Marian and Amma, Adora evidently has a strained relationship with Camille throughout the entire series. She expresses extreme contempt towards Camille’s reporting, and struggles to understand the purpose of bringing news attention to the town’s tragic events.
Amma, on the other hand, shares Camille’s rebellious streak – wavering between hair bows and doll houses while in the presence of their mother, and turning to partying and drugs when she is with her friends. Despite being strangers at the beginning of the series, Amma idolizes Camille and the two sisters begin to develop a relationship.
As the plot continues to unfold and Camille uncovers town secrets in relation to the murders, it is evident that there was darkness in Wind Gap prior to the disappearances of the two young girls.
While Camille’s emotional struggles are more visible than others, the residents of this small Missouri town all have something to hide.
If you like the idea of a story about a black sheep in a seemingly perfect family combined with a whodunit murder-mystery, you will be obsessed with “Sharp Objects.”
