Good American Family

By: Kaylyn Bell

Hulu’s new series “Good American Family” is a fascinating dive into psychology and family dynamics. This drama, created by Katie Robbins, is inspired by a true story that unfolded in both the legal courts and the courts of public opinion. The series highlights the power of a narrative, showcasing competing perspectives and taking viewers on a journey that keeps you hooked from one episode to the next.

After grieving a failed adoption of a little girl, Kristine Barnett (Ellen Pompeo) and Michael Barnett (Mark Duplass) get a second chance when they are asked to adopt Natalia Grace (Imogen Faith Reid), a child with dwarfism, after her last family returned her to the adoption agency. Kristine, a long-time advocate for children with disabilities, believes they can provide Natalia with the care she needs. As Natalia settles in with the Barnetts and their three sons, Kristine becomes paranoid about behavior she sees in their new daughter. After trouble with Natalia’s paperwork is encountered when trying to enroll her in school, Kristine’s skepticism about the adoption only heightens and she begins to question whether Natalia is a child at all.

Many people were unsure of Ellen Pompeo’s ability to shift into a new character after playing Meredith Grey on “Grey’s Anatomy” for decades, but she excels in this role; once you get into “Good American Family” you can’t see her as anyone other than Kristine. Her acting choices were very intentional and it was interesting to see the way her performance and appearance progressed through the season to support the changing narrative.

As good as Pompeo was, the standout performance in this series came from Imogen Faith Reid. The characterization of Natalia Grace is complex, changing drastically depending on who she interacts with, and Reid plays the nuances between the different characters’ perspectives of her very well. She is excellent at influencing the audience’s emotions and view of her character. Through her acting she manages to flip the audience between being scared of her and feeling bad for her. This tension impactfully contributes to the confusion about the truth and keeps viewers invested in the story.

The way the series uses an unreliable narrator was really unique and engaging. By the end it leaves you questioning what is real, which is a testament to a great twist and enforces its message about how easily people’s idea of “truth” can be manipulated. As Detective Drysdale (Dulé Hill) puts it, “Tell a story well enough, the truth doesn’t always matter.”

One standout director is Liz Garbus who does an excellent job differentiating between the different perspectives. A distinct example of this is how scenes in the first few episodes from the view of Kristine, who fears Natalia, showcase a more horror-style direction. This narrative is enforced with the lighting, which uses contrast between light and dark. This series had a significant number of time jumps, which I am normally not a fan of because the story can get lost, but in this case, it was done seamlessly, and Garbus conveyed the story clearly.

“Good American Family” is an extreme dramatization of the real events and in only eight episodes they were not able to fully explore all the parties involved in-depth. However, the series leaves you thinking and interested in learning more about Natalia Grace’s story. It organically highlights the injustices of the medical, judicial and social service systems in a captivating way. With great acting performances and standout storytelling, “Good American Family” is worth the watch.