SERIES REVIEW – Despite its slow start, “The Clearing” paints an uncomfortably realistic picture of a cult that lures its victims almost imperceptibly. Miranda Otto and Teresa Palmer are at the center of this chilling yet delicately executed drama-thriller that accurately reflects the painful and exhausting process of living within a cult, breaking out, escaping, and constantly fleeing.

In the series’ first scene, “The Clearing,” eight-year-old Sara (Lily LaTorre) meets a girl named Amy (Julia Savage) on the side of a rural Australian road. Sara recognizes her immediately and even pronounces her name with the proper emphasis to make sure her new friend understands: S-A-R-A. By the end of the episode, however, Sara is struggling to maintain her own identity. While chatting with Amy, an older boy with long, wavy peroxide blonde hair pulls Sara into an unmarked white van.

Obsessed leader, creepy-looking kids

He and Amy are like the eerie offspring of some “village of the damned,” just like all the other children in the camp where Sara is taken against her will. But the origin of their appearance is not exactly otherworldly. Like the uniform worn by the inhabitants of Sara’s new home, the hair is part of the mandatory look of the group called Kindred. Soon, Sara’s hair will look like this, and she’ll get a new name to go with it: Asha. Her chances of escape are slim because the cult and its leader take themselves very seriously. Standing in front of a stained-glass window depicting saints, her golden locks glistening, Adrienne Beaufort (Miranda Otto) resembles a saint. She preaches her gospel to a room full of disciples, condemning materialism and encouraging the washing away of sins.

Then she introduces what may one day be the crowning achievement of her spiritual movement: her family of nearly a dozen children. Most of them have had their hair dyed platinum blonde, with rough bangs and bobs – harsh mirror images of Adrienne’s own beautiful hairstyle. “They are as pure and uncorrupted as they can be,” Adrienne tells the crowd. “A generation raised far from the suffocating rules of society. They were raised in the most perfect conditions.”

Based on a novel and a true story

Adapted from J.P. Pomare’s 2019 novel In the Clearing, the eight-part miniseries is based on the true story of the Australian cult The Family. A well-funded organization founded by Anne Hamilton-Byrne, a yoga teacher turned spiritual leader, whose camp was exposed in a raid in 1987. The escapees reported abuse, mind control, and initiation rituals involving large amounts of LSD, all under the direction of Hamilton-Byrne, who claimed to be their mother (partly possible due to Australia’s lax adoption laws at the time). Each episode of The Clearing begins with the statement that it is a work of fiction inspired by fact, but the details of cult life that appear in the three episodes seen by critics, however horrifying, do not exaggerate the claims of cult survivors.

Two storylines, two timelines

The series follows two storylines. In the first, it is Amy’s job to acquaint Asha with the life of the Kindreds, despite her own growing doubts about the place, and Asha stubbornly refuses to accept her new identity – even after a phone conversation with the group’s leader, Adrienne (Miranda Otto), who kindly refers to herself as “Asha’s mother” and tells her that she has been eagerly waiting for her.

In the second strand, Freya (Teresa Palmer), a single mother, raises her son while growing increasingly concerned about news of missing children and a white van that seems to follow them everywhere.

The narrative skillfully captures the chilling details and tension. The writers have created an atmosphere that clearly reflects the confusion of the cult members and the fear caused by social isolation. The performances add to the realistic portrayal of the series and evoke strong emotions in the viewers.

Palmer and Otto shine

Teresa Palmer and Otto are particularly memorable in their roles. Palmer convincingly conveys the vulnerability and determination of her character, Freya, to escape the cult. Otto is the charismatic but dangerous leader of the sect, manipulative yet convincing, who leaves you both terrified and curious about her motives.

The Clearing is not easy to watch. But it portrays the phenomenon of cults with such detail and realism that it is truly captivating. The series manages to provide insight into this terrible world without being exploitative, and is able to take the viewer through the rollercoaster of emotions and experiences of cult members while maintaining a realistic and believable portrayal.

-BadSector-