BABY REINDEER (2024) – The blurred lines between stalker and victim
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

This is a very personal and detailed narrative of what happened when a man finds himself the object of a persistent female stalker. That it is based on a true story and that the person being stalked is the TV series’ executive producer, writer, director and actor means this adaptation should at least be unabridged at least from the point of view of the person being stalked. Richard Gadd is a Scottish writer, actor and comedian and claimed that he was severely stalked and harassed when he was younger and working as a bartender and aspiring to be a standup comedian. Baby Reindeer is his account of his real-life experiences during the early 2010’s. To his credit, Baby Reindeer makes for a binge worthy fascinating viewing. It is very well directed, written and acted so has many ticks in the box.
What makes Baby Reindeer stand out is the way it portrays the harasser and the victim. It would be so easy to fall into the trap of making everything black and white, good and evil, stalker and victim. To the credit of Richard, he shows empathy on the characters in his story. The stalker Martha Scott (played by Jessica Gunning) may be shown to exhibit extreme levels of unacceptable social behaviours but the show also shows a softer side of her character, and that she is also somewhat a victim from an unhappy childhood. Richard’s alter ego in the show, Donny Dunn is also constantly shown to be someone who is far from perfect, and not entirely blameless in resulting in the stalking to carry on for so long. The show is a refreshing departure from the typical stereotypes we see on TV and in the movies, where the main leads are gorgeous, and the hero is perfect while the bad guys are despicable to the core. Richard Gadd and his costars here are far from good looking and their characters are not people you would like to be associated with in real life. That Richard Gadd could raise himself up from the low point of his life and reach the level of success in his current state is commendable in which his journey is probably worthy of a follow-up TV series. Apart from being a cautionary tale of how we should be weary of potential stalkers, the story also addresses other contemporary social issues and themes like discrimination, compulsion and rejection. It is laden with strong emotional resonance and cleverly ends with a closure that is controversial and open to viewers’ interpretations.
Interestingly enough, the series’ success has led to the real life “Martha” suing Netflix claiming the series has tarnished her reputation. This inadvertently provides an interesting extension and continuation of the story as it spills over to the news and social media, providing fodder for the public to consume and put in their two cents’ worth in a story that has captured the imagination of everyone.