_{By: Amanda Guarragi}

It’s hard to understand what happens in a teenage girl’s mind. The expectations society has on women stem from adolescence—the media conditions young girls to act and dress a certain way to fit in. No matter the decade, acceptance into the girl world has always been a crucial development pathway and can sometimes be scarring depending on which end you’re on. For Reena Virk (Vritika Gupta), the bullying began in high school gym class because of how hairy her legs were. She wanted to blend in badly and have some girlfriends at school, but teens can be cruel. The mini-series Under the Bridge is adapted from the book of the same name written by Rebecca Godfrey. It explores the devastating events she experienced when she stopped by her parent’s home in Victoria. Creator Quinn Shephard integrates the perspective of Godfrey as a character in the story while peeling back the homicide case in which Reena Virk was at the centre.

Reena Virk was a fourteen-year-old girl who went to join her friends Josephine Bell (Chloe Guidry), Kelly Ellard (Izzy G), and Dusty Pace (Aiyana Goodfellow) at a party and never returned home. We find out that seven teenage girls and a boy were accused of the savage murder. The structure of each episode and how the series unfolds is expertly directed and edited. We begin with the night of the murder and understand the relationship dynamics among the friend group early on. There was a disconnect between Reena and her parents because she lived in a strict and sheltered home. This caused Reena to crave normalcy in a girl group that used her and manipulated her because of how naive she was. Reena was sheltered because of her mother’s faith and how they raised her. It’s challenging to find yourself in such a controlled manner to guide teens in the right direction. Reena’s mother suffocated her, and didn’t let her grow, nor did she attempt to understand the young woman her daughter was becoming.  

Once Reena finds these girls at the Seven Oaks girl’s home, she thinks she’s part of a strong group of girls. The type of girlfriends who will have sleepovers, listen to music together and share their feelings—the purest form of girlhood. These girls come from different backgrounds, and some even from broken homes. They have been dealt a difficult hand and Reena wanted to be just as free. These girls lived by their own rules. They even wanted to start a girl gang called the “CMCs,” which stands for the “Cript Mafia Cartel.” Josephine was fascinated with John Gotti and wanted to live the lavish life of being in the mob. Her arrogant, reckless behaviour left an impression on Reena. Reena feels desperate, and she makes some questionable decisions to get back at Josephine for how she treated her. The first episode, directed by Geeta Vasant Patel, sets the tone for the mini-series and depicts the hardships of girlhood and acceptance. The tension between the girls is high, and it may seem like a petty argument, but it leads to the murder of an innocent girl who tried her best to make friends. 

The series doesn’t only revolve around the young girls, but once the police get involved and Rebecca Godfrey (Riley Keough) comes back to town everyone seems to be involved. Godfrey was already writing a book about the girls in Victoria because she also had a traumatic childhood. Godfrey planned to interview the girls at Seven Oaks. She innocently befriended Josephine to understand how teens in Victoria are living. Godfrey ends up in the middle of this homicide case because she knows the teens in the city and how intertwined they are. She sees herself in them, the darkness that consumes her because of her past. Godfrey continuously blames herself for a tragic event from her past, but she doesn’t let it define who she is. Godfrey becomes fond of one of the teens, Warren Glowatski (Javon ‘Wanna’ Walton). There was a natural chemistry between Keough and Walton that grounded their characters. It’s such an effortless progression that their relationship became more intimate than intended. There was a pure bond between them because of how misunderstood they felt. Their lives weren’t perfect and they found peace in each other. 

The one person who challenges Godfrey is Officer Cam Bentland (Lily Gladstone) because she has a different perspective on the homicide. While Godfrey is looking for an angle for her book, Bentland is trying to solve the murder. Their personal lives and feelings affect the homicide case because of the parallels to the teenagers. This shows that no one ever really grows out of their past and that the trauma from their childhood will always stay with them. They seek to heal their inner child by helping others. The structure of the episodes after the homicide utilizes flashbacks to assemble each character’s backstory. It’s a slow-burn series that allows audiences to familiarize themselves with the characters. Then when they go to trial, the viewer has been able to assess the situation and judge their actions before the accused go to trial. That way the audience can understand Godfrey and Bentland’s perspective. Godfrey seeks the humanity of the situation, while Bentland remains factual because of the evidence. Two different perspectives interweave because of the history between both of them. 

Under the Bridge has incredible performances from the entire cast. Even though it is an eight-episode series the story felt fleshed out in each episode. There was enough time to understand these characters and their motivations. The second half of the series is devastating but Godfrey’s writing allows humanity to be found even in the darkest situations. Not only is Godfrey’s perspective shown, but Manjit Virk’s memoir expressing his views on the situation was also incorporated. Creator Quinn Shephard intricately and delicately covered Reena Virk’s story to express how severe bullying can be. This series reminds audiences that kindness and understanding can go a long way, even if you are the one struggling. Keough and Gladstone gave brilliant performances and the series wouldn’t have been the same without them. Gladstone’s calm and collected nature versus Keough’s intense eagerness for the truth made for a perfect pairing. It’s a fantastic mini-series that explores the difficulties of parenting, girlhood, trauma and acceptance.