THE lives and situations of eight different women are the focus of Roar, the latest series on AppleTV+ streaming platform.
The series premiered on April 15, and is based on a book of the same name by the best-selling author Cecelia Ahern, a collection of short stories about women. In total, there are eight episodes, each focusing on one woman’s story.
The cast includes Nicole Kidman, Issa Rae, Cynthia Erivo, Alison Brie and Meera Syal, and depicts the situations these ordinary women are facing, which can seem very relevant and relatable to other women in this day and age, despite the fact that the characters develop strange diseases or unusual habits, or even begin talking to animals.
Each episode only takes about 30 to 40 minutes, and the title reveals what one can expect in the episode. Some episodes are engaging and interesting to watch while making you curious about what happens in the end.
For example, in The Woman Who Solved Her Own Murder, a woman realises that she had been murdered but she does not know who did it to her.
Other episodes such as the one about an African-American author who finds herself disappearing, is an eye-opener; while another episode which is about a mother who returns to the corporate world and has to deal with insensitive co-workers while feeling guilty for not being present to care for her children, is very relevant to our current life.
Some episodes will make you smile in the end. For example, The Woman Who Sat On The Bench is a funny story about a woman whose mother believes in choosing beauty over intelligence, and who becomes a trophy on the shelf, literally.
While in another episode, an Indian woman spends her entire life serving her husband, but is able to find freedom when she ‘returns’ her husband.
However, I would suggest you skip The Woman Who Fed The Duck, which is a story about a bad ‘relationship’ between a talking duck and a female medical student, as it is uncomfortable to watch.
Overall, the series is entertaining to watch as each episode explores previously unnoticed sides of a women’s life. However, it’s not all about gaining a victory at the end, instead it’s about the message or life lessons the characters learn along their journey.
As for the acting, Kidman, who is the executive producer of the series, is amazing in her role. Besides Kidman, Rae and Erivo are good in their respective roles.
We are not sure whether there will be a second season or not, as the novel actually had 30 stories and only eight are featured in this series. But, it’s worth the wait to find out.
E-VALUE: 7
ACTING: 6
PLOT: 8
