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If you’re only going to watch one Hulu show in August, then you’re probably already watching Alien: Earth.
But since we’ve already gone on at length about why you should watch Alien: Earth, our pick for the one Hulu show you have to watch in August is The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox.
This true crime series is based on the real story of Amanda Knox and her then boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, both of whom were accused of murdering Knox’s roommate, Meredith Kercher.
Knox’s ordeal in the Italian courts played out in the public eye for years. And now it’s been adapted as a very well-made miniseries.
Grace Van Patten Fully Inhabits the Title Role
If anyone is coming out of this show as a much bigger star on the other side, it’s Tell Me Lies‘ Grace Van Patten. It’s one thing for Knox to rave about Patten’s performance, and another to see it for yourself. She embodies Knox in all of her eccentricities and naivety. Patten has to walk the fine line of being just strange enough that the Italian police think she’s a sociopath while also retaining the qualities that make the audience believe in her innocence.
That’s a quality that comes in handy during Patten’s portrayal of the years that Knox spent in prison. The vulnerability and despair in her movements and body language is really impressive. This performance may earn Patton an Emmy award next year, but her greater reward will be all of the roles she’s going to be offered after this series.
The Rest of the Cast Is Very Compelling
Knox’s former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, sometimes gets lost in the very long shadow of her story. She’s a media figure years after her release, and he’s largely out of the public eye. That’s why it’s so easy to forget that he was imprisoned for years as well. Giuseppe De Domenico does excellent work with his portrayal of Sollecito, and he comes off as an even more tragic figure than Knox.
Aside from Patten, the heart of this show belongs to Sharon Horgan and John Hoogenakker as Knox’s parents, Edda Mellas and Curt Knox. They’re the ones fighting for Knox’s release while dealing with their own complex emotions about the crisis engulfing their family. Perhaps the most unsettling performance in the show is Francesco Acquaroli‘s turn as Giuliano Mignini, the prosecutor of Knox and Sollecito’s murder trial.
There don’t seem to be any moments where Mignini doubts the case against the two young adults, and he’s convinced that Kercher’s death was some kind of sick sexual game with Knox and Sollecito. It comes off as an obsession that he’s never able to drop, even in the face of evidence that disproves it.
This Is Amanda Knox’s Definitive Word on Her Story
Although Knox has written two books about her life, this series represents her attempt to provide her final take on what she went through. Knox produced this series with Monica Lewinsky — a woman who famously had her own scandal in the public eye. The final episode of the show is even cowritten by Knox.
By the end of this show’s eight-episode run, there’s not much more ground for the series to cover about the case. The ending feels definitive, and it’s Knox’s final appeal to the court of public opinion.
The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox is streaming on Hulu.
