“What Pauline Is Not Telling You” – TV miniseries review

It’s harder than usual to decide on a reliable 1 – 4 star rating for this four-part dramatic miniseries from French TV, “What Pauline Is Not Telling You” (“Ce Que Pauline Ne Vous Dit Pas”). One might love or hate it, depending on mood, and the extent to which any given viewer relates to the characters and situations in this very personal suspense tale.

Pauline (Ophelia Kolb) is the divorced mother of two. Her ex, Olivier, was a rich jerk from very prominent family, adored by his mother, admired by his father, and loathed by his brother, whose existence had been mostly shrouded by the glare of his sibling’s limelight. We meet Pauline embarrassed at the grocery store by an unexpected lack of funds, then driving home with the kids while yelling at Olivier on the phone for starving them out by callously refusing to pay the required alimony. She decides to confront him and drives to his house. We next see her minutes later crouching over his body on the patio. Her son sees the same. Pauline’s odd ways of handling of the situation lead to her being suspected of a murder she claims not to have committed. We’re kept in suspense about that throughout, as the authorities investigate amid a swirl of pressures, possibilities and missing pieces of the puzzle. As the title suggests, Pauline’s words, deeds and affect do little to help, keeping her under suspicion more than might have been the case, whether rightly or wrongly so.

Her ordeal unfolds slowly, showing us much about the process for investigators, family and all who know them. Because of Olivier’s family’s status, the crime fuels a social media frenzy, affecting the course of events far more than it should. But how one feels about Pauline will likely bounce all over the place due to her inexplicable silences and strange actions in response to each occurrence. Are her mystifying behaviors and attitudes the result of years of psychological abuse, or a strategic series of poses? Sympathetic victim or sociopath? It’s impossible for the cast or any viewer to get a read on whether, or to what extent, we should continue rooting for her.

The morally complex screenplay covers a raft of social and familial issues common to all western cultures. How the rich manage any and all legal problems, including the greater deference they receive from the authorities. The cumulative effects of how families interact, the processes and pressures on those involved with solving crimes and prosecuting offenders, the toll inflicted on children by the flaws and shortcomings of the adults around them, and the undue influence of social media and public perceptions on a supposedly unbiased legal system. There’s a lot of macrocosm explored in Pauline’s microcosm. The script includes a few particularly compelling scenes in the latter episodes.

So, don’t watch this to be entertained. Avoid it if this description of the content reveals issues too close for comfort. Kolb’s task of remaining a cipher by underacting as her actions and reactions baffle the audience as much is they do the ones deciding her guilt or innocence is either a fine thespian achievement, or an annoyance. Perhaps a bunch of both. Mileage may vary widely on this one as to whether the meat on its bones satisfies expectations.

“What Pauline Is Not Telling You” (“Ce Que Pauline Ne Vous Dit Pas”), mostly in French with English subtitles, streams on MHz Choice starting on June 6.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars