Warning: This article contains discussion of drugging, sexual violence, rape and abuse which some readers may find distressing.
The creator of new Netflix hit Baby Reindeer has spoken out about 'the most truthful scene of the entire show'.
The mini-series first started streaming on Netflix on April 11 and it didn't take long for it to obtain a perfect Tomatometer and audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The synopsis of the series centres around the story of comedian Donny (played by Gadd) and the happenings which unfold after he offers a woman named Martha (Jessica Gunning) a cup of tea.
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Little does Donny know this simple act of kindness will snowball into a story of stalking, abuse and trauma.
Reviewed as 'triggering, uncomfortable, awkward and hilarious,' the dark thriller left viewers even more unnerved when it was revealed it's based on true events - experiences lived by its creator and lead actor Richard Gadd.
And Gadd has since addressed how truthful the series stays to his own real-life story.
In an interview with GQ, Gadd voiced the whole mini-series is 'pretty truthful' despite being a piece of drama.
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He explained: "Any time it veered too much into embellishment I would always want to pull it back.
"It’s extremely emotionally truthful. Of course, this is a medium where structure is so important, you need to change things to protect people… but I like to think, artistically, that it never moved too far from the truth."
However, certain adjustments were made, particularly to the character of Martha, the stalker, in a bid to 'disguise' the real stalker's identity so much so that Gadd doesn't think 'she would recognise herself'.
"What’s been borrowed is an emotional truth, not a fact-by-fact profile of someone," he adds.
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But there is one scene which he believes to be the 'most truthful' of 'the entire show'. Warning: Spoilers ahead.
The mini-series doesn't just focus solely on Martha and her stalking of Donny, but also delves into Donny's relationship with TV writer Darrien (Tom Goodman-Hill) who seemingly takes the comedian under his wing.
However, a scene in episode four soon reveals the exploitative and predatory nature of Darrien's behavior towards Donny, with him ending up plied with drugs and raped by the person who he looked up to.
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He then ends up confronting Darrien towards the end of the show.
Gadd believes this was 'almost the most truthful scene of the entire show'.
"What abuse does is it creates psychological damage as well as physical damage… Abuse leaves an imprint. Especially abuse like this where it’s repeated with promises," he said. "There’s a pattern where a lot of people who have been abused feel like they need their abusers."
Gadd resolved: "I don’t think it was a cynical ending, it was showing an element of abuse that hadn’t been seen on television before, which is, unfortunately, the deeply entrenched, negative, psychological effects of attachment you can sometimes have with your abuser."
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If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org
Male Survivors Partnership is available to support adult male survivors of sexual abuse and rape. You can contact the organisation on their website or on their free helpline 0808 800 5005, open 9am–8pm Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays; 8am–8pm Tuesdays and Thursdays; 10am–2pm Saturdays.
Topics: Film and TV, Life, Netflix, UK News, Mental Health, Sexual Abuse