Read the first reviews of “Disclaimer”, you may be confused. Scripts for the seven-episode thriller, which will premiere on Apple TV+ on October 11, fluctuate between two and five stars. Is this flashy series directed by Alfonso Cuaron and starring Cate Blanchett (pictured) a must-see or a flop? Who should you trust, promoters or carters? The answer is both. The exhibition is an example of what might be called good and bad art, and a lesson in appreciating it.

PREMIUM

Jonathan drowned. But how? The novel à clef is part of a spiraling feud involving his father, Stephen (Kevin Kline); This revenge is also based on candid photos taken in Italy and a social media account that raises the dead. In a two-way pursuit, Catherine must track down Stephen, who methodically destroys her.

It is tautological to say that a work of art is flawed or disordered. None of them are perfect, not even “Hamlet” or “Some Like It Hot”. But the flaws in “Disclaimer” are not glitches that are inevitable in all mortal endeavors. They are dazzling.

The plot falls apart upon examination: characters know things they cannot do and behave inexplicably. You can expect a synergy between Catherine’s job (uncovering the truth) and her urgent personal mission (ditto). No. “You’re so cancelled, Catherine!” a colleague shouts in one of the many clunky lines.

Then the voiceover is done. This voice, intended to convey inner thoughts, sounds distractingly like Alexa. Chart sex scenes As they arise, they seem gratuitous; They look even more so after a twist that drastically reshapes the gender politics of the story. This change feels like a rush; less of a coup and more of an adult version of “And then they woke up.”

Mr. Cuaron, who adapted the screenplay from Renée Knight’s novel, won five Oscars, including one. “Novel”. At the Venice Film Festival, where “Disclaimer” had a warm premiere, he said he thought of the film not as television but as “seven films.” in an age prestige televisionThis is as amazing as it gets. By some measures this is a disappointment. In others, it’s very good: not in the “so bad it’s good” sense, just not so good that it’s diverting, but hauntingly excellent.

The acting is mixed, as is the dialogue, but Miss Blanchett shines and Lesley Manville, Jonathan’s grieving mother, is heartbreaking. In a flashback, he walks towards the deadly sea like a figure from ancient legend. The sequences and tableaus match the origins of the show. As the police inform Jonathan’s parents of his death, the television in the living room remains on, a vestige of normalcy. Visiting his own son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) in his neglected digs, Robert Ravenscroft focuses, as a father would, on a hole in his sock. Foxes, cats and cockroaches have memorable roles.

Above all, “Disclaimer” boldly reaches for big themes like grief, erotic jealousy, marriage and its secrets, what parents do to children and vice versa. It dramatizes the fragility of even the most comfortable lives and asks whether, when revisiting old traumas, you are healing the wound or poking it. In the end, this tricky narrative makes viewers think about the stories people tell about the past and each other. Some characters deceptively believe the best of their loved ones. He is very quick to think the worst about others, especially women.

Despite all the differences in genre, era and medium, this blend of fluidity and depth is most reminiscent of the artist Dostoevsky. His good-evil stories may seem dramatic and messy; but they offer timeless moments of drama and stare unflinchingly into the darkest recesses of the heart. “Disclaimer” carries something of Dostoevsky’s reckless honesty and shares his interest in guilt. If you want something terrible to happen for strong reasons, how guilty are you when it happens?

All of this raises other questions about art rather than morality. Which is the better measure of a work of art, its average quality or its peaks? What balance should be struck between ambition and execution, shocking insight and missteps, good and evil? In Back Story’s book, art, good or bad, that stays in the memory is more valuable than the delicious kind that is read or watched calmly and instantly forgotten.

For more on the latest books, movies, TV shows, albums, and discussions, sign up at: plotOur weekly newsletter for subscribers only