Under The Bridge review: Vritika Gupta, Lily Gladstone shine in gripping series

The most effective parts of ‘Under The Bridge’ are Virk’s troubled interactions with her family. Her uncle is the only one who understands her overpowering desire to be accepted by a girl who is herself an outcast: Jo has a mother who clearly wishes to have nothing to do with her, which is why she (Jo) stays in a group home. Reena’s father (Khan, speaking in a distracting lilt, which seems forced), and her mother (Panjabi, who lifted so much of The Good Wife, and is very good here) are not just protective ‘desi’ parents, but are also constrained by being part of a close-knit conservative commune. It stands to reason that Reena will rebel, but no one expects her to leave the dinner table one evening, to go to a party at Jo’s invitation, and never return.

The other most interesting casting choice is that of Lily Gladstone (‘Killers of the Flower Moon’) as Cam Bentland, the cop given a free hand to investigate the crime even as we get to know her complicated history with Rebecca Godfrey (Keough), the writer who returns home to write her novel about ‘disposable Bics’ girls. Gladstone plays her as a relatable person with confusions of her own, even though the arc with her and Keough feels extraneous, and is left hanging.

There are other clunky bits in the series, and Godfrey’s characterisation as a closed-in individual unsure of how to act around both older and younger people is the clunkiest of all. But what saves ‘Under The Bridge’ is the series’ commitment to its central character and what made her show up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Also Read | Rebel Moon Part Two movie review: Utterly irredeemable, Zack Snyder needs to zap these movies from his filmography

Or maybe, tragically, Reena Virk was always going to be wrong. Both as a person of colour, and her choice of oversized clothes, which many teenagers with body issues wear as protective armour, Reena was always sideways, struggling to be herself, and be accepted by her peers. The shocking result was the outcome of misunderstanding, anger and jealousy, a ticking bomb that can go off any time, any place. That underlying theme, so universal, keeps us invested in that faraway girl who died so young ; her story, as told in ‘Under The Bridge’, stays consistently gripping.

Streaming on Hulu

Under The Bridge cast: Vritika Gupta, Lily Gladstone, Chloe Guidry, Izzy G, Javon ‘Wanna’ Walton, Aiyana Goodfellow, Ezra Faroque Khan, Archie Panjabi, Riley Keough
Under The Bridge rating: Three stars