Apple TV+ continues to explore the territory of courtroom dramas with the project ‘Presumption of Innocence,’ where the one under investigation is none other than a prosecutor.

Brilliant prosecutor Rusty Sabich (Jake Gyllenhaal) learns that his colleague Carolyn (Renata Reinsve) has been brutally murdered, and after death she is bound in the same way as in one of the cases they worked on together. As he tries to figure out what happened, the fact that Rusty and Carolyn were lovers comes to light, making him one of the main suspects.

Nadezhda Vasilyeva

Life of 30-Year-Olds Under the Microscope of a Norwegian in the Film ‘The Worst Person in the World’

A new film by Norwegian director Joachim Trier, ‘The Worst Person in the World,’ has been released in Russian theaters. A deep drama, a serious coming-of-age novel disguised at first glance

Open material

The series is based on the work of Scott Turow, whose plot may be familiar to a wide audience from the 1990 film adaptation starring. However, there are plenty of differences, especially regarding the ending, which in the new version was turned into an even more unpredictable twist (which, by the way, disappointed some viewers).

Varvara Ulyanenok

Harrison Ford – a Hero in Film and Beyond

Harrison Ford celebrates his 78th birthday, and we recall his amazing feats and various achievements in cinema and beyond.

Open material

As in convoluted court proceedings, the devil is in the details. ‘Presumption of Innocence’ best reveals itself not as a detective story, but as a courtroom drama. Each hearing, each argument from the prosecution and defense here is akin to rap battles battles in the Colosseum for the audience's entertainment. Today's winner may be trampled tomorrow by the previous loser. Watching these verbal clashes is a pleasure.

Viewers are fully allowed to feel the role of jurors who must piece together bits of information to get to the truth, while charismatic lawyers (besides the traditionally convincing Gyllenhaal, here it's the even more convincing Peter Sarsgaard) do their best to tip the scales in their favor.

The ambiguity of the defendant adds fuel to the fire of emotional perception. Rusty is a liar, even though he regularly says otherwise. He cheats on his wife and betrays his children. He has anger issues. It's hard to sympathize with such a character, even if he is innocent, which neither the viewer nor the jury will know until the final episode.

The character's personality is revealed through numerous flashbacks, including his relationship with the deceased. Sometimes it may seem that there are too many such scenes, and the series itself is a bit drawn out.

This is compensated by the quality acting, and not even Gyllenhaal performs best, but the supporting cast in the form of the already mentioned Sarsgaard, as well as Bill Camp, playing the former boss, lawyer and friend of Rusty, and Ruth Negga, who takes on the burden of the most emotional episodes, because it is the wife who faces the greatest challenge – to keep the family together despite everything.

Delivering a verdict on the project ‘Presumption of Innocence,’ it is worth noting that it became the most-watched drama series on Apple TV+ even before the final episodes aired, surpassing such expensive shows as ‘Masters of the Air’ and ‘Foundation.’ This is not a direct indicator of quality, but confirmation that the story has captivated the audience, and that is the main thing.

Trailer:

P.S. ‘Presumption of Innocence’ has been renewed for a second season, despite the first having a complete story, so there is a possibility of an anthology.