When Nella Ortman decided to marry a rich merchant, her life seemed to change completely. Nella moves to Amsterdam in the 17th century with her husband but finds it difficult to cope as she struggles to win her husband's passion and discover the dark secrets she faces there. Nella decides to hire a miniature miniaturist to supply the doll house she received from her merchant husband, where there seems to be more mysterious things she faces.
"Masterpiece"... is back with a gorgeous looking three-part series about a young woman married to a 17th century Amsterdam merchant, based on Jessie Burton's novel and lit like a Vermeer painting.
The three-part period piece has some weaknesses in the final chapter, but it is nonetheless an intriguing story led by a trio of stellar performances. Oh, and it's completely gorgeous.
It's absolutely glorious to look at in its fully formed universe of old Amsterdam; it's wicked and wild but in the turmoil, she finds out who she is, her previously unknown abilities and how adversity can cause one's heart to grow and love.
Still, the mystery is thrilling, and the show is gorgeous to look at, and Taylor-Joy is a fantastic actress who keeps the show humming along, even when her character doesn't quite make sense for her surroundings.
The Miniaturist is always lovely to look at and the cast are uniformly good, despite too often having to deliver lines of slightly portentous, viewer-nudging dialogue.
"The Miniaturist" may feel raw and green, sometimes naively so, but in its awkward, otherworldly way champions hope and change, and that's rarely a waste of time.
