Is anyone really who they claim to be? How can you spot a sociopathic liar from someone innocent
“Good American Family,” created by Katie Robbins and Sarah Sutherland, is an eight-episode limited series on Hulu. The series depicts the true story of the adoption of Natalia Grace, a seven year old girl with a rare form of dwarfism, to the Barnett family: Kristine, Michael, and their three boys.
There are currently three episodes of the series out, with the rest set to be released throughout April. The pilot episode titled, “Almost Like a Prayer,” directed by Liz Garbus, starts us out in the present, where Kristine Barnett, played by the incredibly talented Ellen Pompeo, gets publicly arrested for child neglect. It is a complete and utter whiplash moment into the story of this strange family. It’s even stranger to realize that as fictionalized as the show is, it’s based on real-life events. Talk about a shiver running down your spine.
The big conflict of the series is centered around Kristine, Michael (Mark Duplass), and obviously Natalia (Imogen Faith Reid). Kristine and Michael adopt Natalia in hopes of completing their family and finding that missing piece. However, they soon become weary of Natalia’s strange behavior and “violent” tendencies.
The trigger in Kristine is the discovery of Natalia having pubic hair, which is odd considering her adoption papers document that she’s seven years old. Which prompts the question, “How old is Natalia?” As if forgetting all about Natalia’s rare form of dwarfism, Kristine immediately jumps to that the family is in grave danger and being scammed by their new family member. Kristine even sees (hallucinates, rather) Natalia standing over the couple’s bed with a knife.
So what does the couple do? They take their discovery to doctors and therapists. One of which slyly diagnoses Natalia as a child sociopath, telling the family to try a strange therapy tactic of treating her like a literal infant to gain her trust. In one scene, Michael even tries feeding Natalia mashed-up apple baby food and a milk bottle.
After watching Hulu’s documentary, “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace,” there are many parallels that the TV show stayed true to. Things like the discovery of Natalia hitting puberty, trips to doctors, the cleaning product poisoning attempt, and the stuffed animal decapitation.
They also stay true to Natalia’s relationship with Michael versus Kristine. Michael is her safe haven, although he never stands up to Kristine as she mistreats the child. Natalia still feels comfortable enough to run to him for fatherly comfort just like any child would. Kristine is the obvious antagonist, although, to some level, you can see where she’s coming from. But I couldn’t help but feel bad for Natalia, as weird as she may be.
As Kristine grapples with her own anxiety and paranoia surrounding the child, it’s hard to decipher what characters to trust. It seems as though no one is a trustworthy character. It makes the viewing experience of this show incredibly difficult. Is Natalia a sociopath? How old really is she? Could Kristine be the actual psycho fabricating the entire thing? As confusing as it is with all of these questions circling one’s brain as a viewer, it makes the situation’s stakes even higher.
Ellen Pompeo’s acting is so good in this series. It’s hard to watch her and not compare her to the real-life Kristine. She’s crazy and narcissistic, but Pompeo plays her off in a way where you can almost rationalize her (heavy emphasis on almost). Mark Duplass also plays Michael extremely well. In the documentary, Michael is extremely outlandish and paranoid towards the end. You can see his evolution from start to finish with Duplass, especially in the latest episode, “Ghosts Everywhere,” directed by Seith Mann. Michael is told that Kristine is being brought up on charges. Only thing he didn’t expect was that he would be brought up on the very same. His hatred towards her in that moment is exactly like real-life Michael. You have to see it to believe it.
It’s important to note that the show flip-flops between flashbacks and seemingly present day. It’s obviously dramatized from the true events, as I said previously. If you want the full story of Natalia Grace, I highly recommend both this series and the Hulu documentary. The true story is even more shocking than that fictional adaptation. It’ll have you questioning time and time again with each disturbing encounter.
