“Disclaimer."

“Disclaimer” (Apple TV+) psychological thriller miniseries written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón, based on the 2015 novel of the same name by Renée Knight. A famed documentary journalist discovers she is a prominent character in a novel that reveals a secret she has tried to keep hidden.

       On the get go, certainly it was easy to succumb to this triumvirate of sheer attractions: Cate Blanchett, the return (did he leave?) of Kevin Kline, and A-1 director Alfonso Cuaron. 

       Since 2001's “Y tu mama tambien” and 2006's “Children of Men,” I haven't doubted Senor Cuaron's magic. He didn't disappoint with “Disclaimer.” An alluring mind game. 

       Cate Blanchett as Catherine Ravenscroft, an award-winning documentarian, is the usual Ms Blanchett. She embodies all her characters, diverse and challenging always, like second skin. But it is Kevin Kline as Stephen Brigstocke, a retired private school teacher who harbors a grudge against Catherine, that mesmerized me. He is both an aging vulnerability and a devilish avenger. I was at a loss if I'd sympathize with Stephen or despise him altogether. 

       The entire cast is remarkable. Leia George is wounded eroticism; Sacha Baron Cohen is conflicted lostness but restrained; Lesley Manville is muted, distant pain; Kodi Smit-McPhee is helpless agony sans hysterics.

       A highlight are the sex scenes, which could be a bit stretched to semi-exhibitionism, although executed in unmistakably tasteful angling aesthetics. Still, those may bother some. Anyhow the finale twist kept me staring at a wall. Yet, wasn't that the moral center of “Disclaimer,” as hinted by the Ravenscroft couple's pre-ending dialogue? 🎥📺📽