by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
When I was in college, one possible idea for a major was journalism. I even took a few classes on it. I like writing (obviously), and reporting on events seemed like a good way to channel that passion. I couldn’t decide what type of journalist I wanted to be, though, and I struggled to find my niche. Since I was a little more introverted back then, interviewing people and establishing sources presented a problem. Interviewing people during a crime or a bad situation made me a little uncomfortable, too. I eventually gave up on the idea of journalism and just switched to an English degree because it helped me with my writing.
Watching Shining Girls helps confirm why I made the right call when it came to journalism.
Shining Girls, created for the screen by Silka Luisa and based on the novel by the same name by Lauren Beukes, is about a newspaper archivist named Kirby (Elizabeth Moss), who was viciously attacked, still dealing with the trauma of her survival, and feels her reality shifting around her all the time. When another body turns up bearing similarities to her attack, Kirby teams with reporter Dan Velasquez (Wagner Moura) to help with the story and see if the cases are linked, or if it’s just a coincidence. What Kirby and Dan discover about the killer shocks them, and they scramble to prevent another victim from being murdered. Shining Girls is eight episodes long and currently streaming on Apple TV+.
Trigger warnings right off the bat. With the subject matter being about murder, there will be a lot of different reasons why this can be triggering for people. The nature of the attacks also makes this a warning. This is a serial killer who also stalks his victims and taunts them before he ultimately kills them. There are a few scenes where he does actually attack his victims, and it’s very unsettling just how brutal and violent he is with these women. So if you are triggered by this type of violence, proceed with caution or avoid it all together.
Shining Girls hinges heavily on its performers and it does not disappoint. Moss is fantastic in her role. She goes through a wide range of different emotions for her character that show how much range she has as a performer. Moss has to be grief-stricken one moment, and then needs to get answers for the sake of her story. She has to be helpful to someone, then has to put up a fight. Kirby as a character is complicated because she’s invested in the case, but also directly linked. She wants to find this killer for her own sake, but also to protect others from becoming victims. She’s also unreliable because her reality keeps shifting around her. Whether or not this is a defense mechanism or something else, the audience finds out later on in the show. But the shifting reality creates conflict with her case and with her own psyche. Kirby is a strong character though, and I can’t help but think that Moss was tailor-made for a role like this.
Most of the performances are really strong. Along with Kirby, another character that stands out is Jin-Sook (Phillipa Soo), another one of the killer’s targets, and someone who Kirby attempts to aid. The dynamic with Soo and Moss is really great, and they play off of one another really well. This is a role I haven’t seen Soo do before, so I’m happy to see her continue her evolution as a performer. The other character that has an outstanding performance is Harper Curtis (Jamie Bell). He is a person of interest for the case, and Bell is terrifying in this role. He’s just a creepy character, and the things he does throughout the course of the show are unsettling. The opening scene alone when Harper interacts with a girl playing on the steps of her house establishes right off the bat that he is not someone to cross paths with. He’s always lurking in the shadows, and props to the cinematography (done by Bonnie Elliot and Robert McLachlan) for creatively shooting the scene to include him, but not be a focus. Bell is a talented performer, and I’ve been a fan since he was in Billy Elliot, but I never saw a performance like this coming from him. I’m hoping he gets more chances to play roles like this because he was amazing.
Structurally, the story is a bit confusing. I had to pause and rewatch some parts because I was a bit lost. It doesn’t really explain what is going on in certain aspects that well, and the shifting reality is jarring for the audience because it happens so abruptly. I wasn’t exactly expecting a full explanation as to why this is happening, but there also wasn’t a clear explanation given either. I’m wondering if the book goes more in depth about it, but I was a little lost. This also makes the investigation a little messy because things do not remain consistent for long before shifting. The focus every time there’s a shift becomes centering and figuring out what’s changed, versus the investigation, which I found a little problematic. It took a super team of people to figure this one out because there were plenty of wrenches thrown in the case. When we finally see what’s actually going on, I understand the decision creatively, but I ultimately wasn’t a fan of the end result. It leaves too many questions unanswered. Thematically, I like how the story explores the effects of trauma and grief. They both loom large over a lot of the characters, but how each of them processes them are different. I like that they explore healthy and unhealthy ways to process trauma and grief and the dangers of completely shutting down. I do wish more of this was explored, but that would sacrifice a little bit of storytelling about the investigation while also contributing further to some pacing issues.
From a technical perspective, the pacing is a little slow, but the editing, sound design, and the tense mood are all highlights. Shining Girls does a great job of creating unease and making the audience feel uncomfortable. When realities are shifting, it’s subtle enough to where we can’t notice, but abrupt enough to know something feels off. I’d rather have this versus something way more obvious. The slow burn of the story does make the audience pay attention to all the clues to try and figure out what’s going on. The sound also creates an eerie atmosphere that works well for the story. It doesn’t hurt that the show takes place in Chicago, which always gets more points in my book. I immediately knew this took place in Chicago when we first see Kirby walking around and crossing the Chicago River.
Shining Girls will appeal to those who love murder mysteries and are looking for something different. The performances alone make this worth a watch. Soo, Bell, and especially Moss anchor a stellar cast of performers who chew up scenery in the best way. Although it lost me a little once the reveal happened, I still appreciated the swing nonetheless. I’m curious to see what changed from book to screen. This is probably second-tier Apple TV+, below standouts like Ted Lasso and Severance, and it probably won’t increase Apple’s subscription service with new viewers looking for this. It’s a soft recommendation simply for Moss’ performance alone and the Chicago setting.
Score: 7/10
You can follow Mike Hilty on Twitter and Letterboxd