Ask yourself. Do you really know your neighbours?
Oh sure, we can chat over the fence with them and maybe enjoy BBQs in the summertime together. But how well can we really know what’s going on in the house next door?
Created by Katie Robbins, Good American Family tells the wild true(-ish) story of Kristine and Michael Barnett (Ellen Pompeo and Mark Duplass), a couple who have dedicated their lives to helping others. Having adopted children in the past, they get the chance to add one more to their home in the form of Natalia Grace (Imogen Faith Reid), a 7-year-old girl from the Ukraine. However, as Natalia begins to display increasingly odd behaviour, the Barnetts become suspicious that their adoption may not be as standard as they had been led to believe.
In Good American Family, Robbins spins a story that’s so wildly absurd that, of course, it has to be based on a true story. However, even though the series begins as though it popped out of any number of Hallmark movies, American Family takes a dark turn quickly that keeps the viewer off-balance. Veering wildly between family drama and potential horror, this limited series is utterly fascinating from start to finish.
What’s more, performances all around are solid, especially that of Pompeo and Reid. As Kristine, Pompeo moves effortlessly between shifting tones. Always affable in her performances, she’s absolutely believable as the ‘perfect mother’. Even so, as Pompeo infuses her with fragility, we know that she’s never entirely stable either. Of course, the primary reason for Kristine’s fractured soul is the toxic relationship that she maintains with Natalia Grace. Backed by a delightfully wild performance by Reid, Natalia Grace can be both endearing and terrifying within the bat of an eye. We are never meant to trust Natalia Grace and Reid absolutely commands every moment that she’s onscreen.
What makes American Family unique though is its shifting points of view. This is not a series that offers definitive truth in any way. Instead, it leans into the perspectives of its characters. Each episode takes on its own tone and style that highlights the purposes and views of different characters. For example, in some moments, Natalia Grace feels like a misunderstood child. In others, she seems like she stepped out of a horror movie.
(Seriously. Wait for the smirk upon her face when she tries to help Kristine in the kitchen. It’s bone chilling.)
But all the characters are subject this this sort of tonal shift as well. Kristine waivers between saint and sadistic. Michael feels like both ‘Father of the Year’ and utter failure. In doing so, American Family creates the most compelling of mysteries. We are left horrified by the Barnett situation, especially as things begin to spiral. Yet, at the same time, we also empathize with them as they try desperately to help a young woman in need.
Truthfully, the lack of consistency in its tone is part of the joy of the series. On the surface, they simply seem like the perfect family. With a heart that bleeds love for others, The Barnetts genuinely feel like a family that’s trying to do the best that they can. Kristine’s entire life revolves around helping the less fortunate. They have adopted other children (and lost out on opportunities as well). Her primary goal is to create a safe environment for families in need. She’s not trying to become famous (or infamous) but she firmly believes that her faith calls her to help change the lives of those in need.
However, as the situation starts to spiral, Kristine begins to change. Her humanity gradually begins to supersede her perceived sainthood. What’s more, Kristine and Michael’s seemingly solid relationship slowly begins to crack and we begin to see that they’re broken just like everyone else. But, when things go wildly out of control, the decisions that they make will devastate their home irreparably.
Now, having said this, the series’ love of the salacious can also cause problems as well. Because American Family seems more interested in the potential gossip, there are moments where the series feels like some form of tabloid reporting that prevents us from feeling satisfied. In short, Good American Family is just fine with feeding us the outlandish, without helping us know how to feel.
Are the Barnetts heroes or villains? In truth, they’re probably a mix of both.
But Good American Family doesn’t want to give you easy answers. Instead, the series leaves the viewer sitting in a complex blend of reality and ficiton, asking viewers to make up their own mind about the Barnetts. Like the tabloids that tear their family to shreds, American Family points out that truth is shaped by perspectives—and that perspectives are always skewed.
The first three episodes of Good American Family are available on Disney+ now, with new episodes airing every Wednesday.
