Behind Her Eyes is a British noir supernatural psychological thriller television series created by Steve Lightfoot, based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Sarah Pinborough, that premiered on Netflix on 17 February 2021.[5] The limited series stars Simona Brown, Tom Bateman, Eve Hewson and Robert Aramayo.
| Behind Her Eyes | |
|---|---|
 Official Netflix poster | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Steve Lightfoot |
| Based on | Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough |
| Directed by | Erik Richter Strand |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Rupert Gregson-Williams |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Cinematography | Felix Wiedemann |
| Editors |
|
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 47–53 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | Netflix |
| Release | 17 February 2021 |
Synopsis
editBehind Her Eyes follows the story of Louise, a single mother, whose world is thrown off kilter when she begins an affair with her new boss, David, and matters take an even stranger turn when she's drawn into an unlikely friendship with his wife, Adele. What starts as an unconventional love triangle soon becomes a dark, psychological tale of suspense and twisted revelations, as Louise finds herself caught in a dangerous web of secrets where nothing and no one is what they seem.[6]
Cast and characters
edit- Simona Brown as Louise Barnsley
- Eve Hewson as Adele Ferguson (née Campbell)
- Tom Bateman as Dr. David Ferguson
- Robert Aramayo as Rob Hoyle
- Tyler Howitt as Adam
- Georgie Glen as Sue
- Nichola Burley as Sophie
- Roshan Seth as Dr. Sharma
- Nila Aalia as Geeta Sharma
- Eva Birthistle as Marianne
Episodes
edit| No. | Title [7] | Directed by [8] | Written by [7] | Original release date [9] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Chance Encounters" | Erik Richter Strand | Steve Lightfoot | 17 February 2021 | |
|
A spilled drink at a bar leads to an awkward day at work for Louise, who's shaken again by night terrors. David introduces Adele to his new colleagues. | |||||
| 2 | "Lucid Dreaming" | Erik Richter Strand | Steve Lightfoot | 17 February 2021 | |
|
A peek inside David and Adele's private life — and a look at Rob's dream journal — leaves Louise with more questions than answers. | |||||
| 3 | "The First Door" | Erik Richter Strand | Angela LaManna | 17 February 2021 | |
|
Against her better judgment, Louise grows attached to both David and Adele, becoming increasingly enmeshed in their tense, complicated marriage. | |||||
| 4 | "Rob" | Erik Richter Strand | Angela LaManna | 17 February 2021 | |
|
An accusation of violence threatens to unravel David's life, and more shocking news awaits him and Louise when Adele drops a bombshell. | |||||
| 5 | "The Second Door" | Erik Richter Strand | Steve Lightfoot | 17 February 2021 | |
|
Despite David's warnings, Louise can't shake her concern for Adele, who sows seeds of doubt over what happened with Rob on her family estate. | |||||
| 6 | "Behind Her Eyes" | Erik Richter Strand | Steve Lightfoot | 17 February 2021 | |
|
Louise pays a visit to David's former mistress, Marianne, in Brighton where the latter reveals how Adele vandalised her home and threatened her. She then confronts David about Rob's death when he explains it was Adele who threw his body in the well after he had overdosed on heroin. After he discovers that Louise has informed the police about Rob's death, David decides to tell them Adele's truth and sets for Scotland. Meanwhile Louise faces Adele for her surreal use of astral projection. When Adele finds out that Louise has told the police and David has decided to tell her truth, she decides to end her life while texting Louise. Worried, Louise arrives at Adele's house which she has set fire to. Unable to break in, Louise decides to project out of her body to save Adele. When her soul reaches Adele's body, the latter's soul that was hiding, reaches for Louise's body. Now both of them having swapped, Adele arrives in Louise's body and kills Louise in Adele's body with a heroin overdose, completely taking over her life and reconciling with David. In the flashback, it is revealed that Adele had told Rob about swapping bodies and when they did, Rob cleverly refused to give Adele's body back and killed her in his own body with a heroin overdose because he fell in love with David himself. Now married to David, Rob lives as Louise while treating Adam cruelly. | |||||
Production
editDevelopment
editOn 25 January 2019, it was announced that Netflix had given the production a series order for a six-episode first season.[10] Steve Lightfoot is credited as the creator and executive producer of the series.[11] In August 2019, it was announced that Erik Richter Strand would direct the limited series.[8]
Casting
editIn August 2019, it was confirmed that Simona Brown, Eve Hewson, Tom Bateman and Robert Aramayo would star in the limited series.[8][12]
Filming
editPrincipal photography for the limited series took place in London and Scotland, from June to October 2019.[13]
Release
editOn 4 February 2021, Netflix released the official trailer for the limited series.[14] The limited series was released on 17 February 2021.[3]
Reception
editThe review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 62% approval rating for the first season with an average rating of 5.7/10, based on 37 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Behind Her Eyes' many twists may be unexpected, but limited character development also leaves them feeling unearned - still, it may be just bonkers enough to keep forgiving viewers entertained."[15] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 54 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[16]
The Guardian stated in their review of the series, "Who knew threesomes could be so boring?", giving the series a 2-star rating.[17] Rolling Stone stated "Netflix's new erotic thriller self-destructs with a series of needlessly crazy twists".[18] The Independent gave the series a 2-star rating, stating "One bizarre twist can't make up for the yawning lulls".[19] The Irish Times gave a mostly negative review stating "You may be charmed. Or it's possible you will wonder why you wasted six hours of your life."[20] Patrick Cremona from Radio Times said of the series, that it "flits from the bland to the bizarre without being particularly convincing or compelling".[21]
References
edit- ^ "Netflix series Behind Her Eyes starring Eva Hewson due out in 2021". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 4 November 2020. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ^ Burrows, Lisa-Marie (9 August 2019). "Netflix Psychological Thriller Behind Her Eyes Starts Production & Announces Cast". Film and TV Now. Archived from the original on 3 January 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
- ^ a b Jensen, Erin; Arnowitz, Leora (19 January 2021). "Netflix in February: Our last date with 'To All The Boys,' 'Malcolm & Marie' debuts". USA Today. Archived from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ Hennigan, Adrian. "Netflix's New Thriller 'Behind Her Eyes' Has a Bland Beginning but a Killer Ending". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 14 February 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
- ^ [1][2][3][4]
- ^ Ritman, Alex (25 January 2019). "Netflix Orders 'Behind Her Eyes' Limited Series From 'The Crown' Producer Left Bank". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
- ^ a b "Behind Her Eyes". Writers Guild of America West. Archived from the original on 17 October 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ^ a b c Clarke, Stewart (8 August 2019). "Netflix's 'Behind Her Eyes,' From 'The Crown' Producers, Sets Cast". Variety. Archived from the original on 8 August 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
- ^ "Behind Her Eyes – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ Clarke, Stewart (25 January 2019). "'The Crown' Producers Making Psychological Thriller 'Behind Her Eyes' for Netflix". Variety. Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ "Netflix orders limited drama series Behind Her Eyes". Netflix Media Center. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
- ^ White, Peter; Wiseman, Andreas (8 August 2019). "'Behind Her Eyes': Simona Brown, Tom Bateman & Eve Hewson Star In Netflix Psychological Thriller". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 8 August 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
- ^ Cook, Laurence (15 April 2019). "Get Cast in New Netflix Thriller Series 'Behind Her Eyes'". Backstage. Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
- ^ Bosselman, Haley (4 February 2021). "Netflix Unveils 'Behind Her Eyes' Trailer (TV News Roundup)". Variety. Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ^ "Behind Her Eyes: Season 1 (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ^ "Behind Her Eyes - Season 1 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ^ "Behind Her Eyes review – who knew threesomes could be so dull?". the Guardian. 17 February 2021. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
- ^ Sepinwall, Alan (15 February 2021). "'Behind Her Eyes' and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Ending". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
- ^ "One bizarre twist can't make up for the yawning lulls in Behind Her Eyes – review". The Independent. 17 February 2021. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
- ^ Power, Ed. "Behind Her Eyes: An over-the-top, oversexed – but wonderful – Netflix thriller". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
- ^ "Behind Her Eyes review: Uneven thriller with wacky premise takes too long to get going". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
