Despite Elle Fanning’s impressive portrayal of the major participant in the “texting suicide” case, “The Girl From Plainville,” Hulu’s austere, sparse eight-episode series, turns out to be better suited to a documentary than a drama.
Because the two only met a few times, the producers face a big dramatic challenge, which New York magazine reporter Marin Cogan described as a “thoroughly modern romance… conducted almost entirely online.”
They deal with the digital barrier by portraying many of their text exchanges as in-person talks, which is an understandable dramatic device but nonetheless feels like it distorts the relationship’s contours.
The plot revolves around the death of Conrad “Coco” Roy III (Colton Ryan), who committed suicide after being prompted by Carter (Fanning). Later, she gave conflicting accounts of what transpired, leading to her trial and conviction on charges of involuntary manslaughter.
As a result, the star-crossed relationship mirrors the hardships of these unhappy teenagers, but in a way that reduces the drama’s effect. The presentation’s bouts of fancy and what-ifs, while well-intentioned, are less sober than the made-for-Lifetime basis.
Both Carter and Roy (or Coco, as his family nicknamed him) come across as enigmatic characters who don’t reveal much about what makes them tick. It’s not the fault of the stars.
Carter’s faraway, haunting attitude was beautifully represented by Fanning, as was her obsession with the programme “Glee,” her attachment with Lea Michele’s character, and the terrible loss of co-star Cory Monteith.
The attention shifts to the family, possibly because of the nature of the children. Carter’s father is awestruck as he listens to her tell about Roy “You never talked about him.
We never ever heard his name ” Roy’s heartbroken mother (Chloe Sevigny) is naturally perplexed by what Michelle describes as a grand romance, he comments at one point. She’s also worried of how Carter appears to thrive on the attention and pity that comes with being her son’s bereaved girlfriend.
Hulu has had a good run recently with fact-based limited series (see “The Dropout” and “Pam & Tommy”) starring young blonde women in a variety of situations, and the thirst for real crime — especially with a modern, youthful twist — appears to be inexhaustible.
Nonetheless, audiences will gain a better understanding of Carter’s narrative through seeing the HBO documentary “I Love You, Now Die” than they will from watching this. Truth may be stranger than fiction, but nonfiction is far more enlightening than drama in this situation.
Hulu will air “The Girl From Plainville” on March 29.
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