By Travis Johnson
Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij specialise in making oblique, intelligent, politically aware films. Their two features thus far have questioned individual identity, group dynamics and the foundations of belief to excellent if somewhat unnerving effect, and it seems that The OA, their upcoming series for Netflix, is continuing in a similar vein.
Typically, they’re not showing their hand just yet, with the synopsis calling The OA “… a powerful, mind-bending tale about identity, human connection and the borders between life and death. The Netflix original series The OA is an odyssey in eight chapters produced in partnership with Plan B Entertainment, Netflix and Anonymous Content. The groundbreaking series offers audiences a singular experience that upends notions about what long-format stories can be.
“The show begins with a missing blind girl in her twenties, Prairie Johnson (Brit Marling), who comes home to the community she grew up in with her sight restored. Some hail her a miracle, others a dangerous mystery, but Prairie won’t talk about her seven years missing with the FBI or her parents.”
. …which certainly sounds intriguing. Co-starring Emory Cohen (Brooklyn, The Place Beyond the Pines), Scott Wilson (The Walking Dead, Junebug), Phyllis Smith (The Office), Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter, Fury, Dig), Alice Krige (Star Trek: First Contact, Silent Hill), Patrick Gibson (The Tudors), Brendan Meyer (Mr. Young, The Guest) and newcomers Ian Alexander and Brandon Perea, The OA debuts on Amazon this Friday, December 16.
