Adapted from Sarah Pinborough’s novel, Netflix’s Behind Her Eyes immerses viewers in a world where the boundaries between reality and the supernatural world blur. This psychological thriller unfolds with the journey of three central characters – Louise, David, and Adele – as they deal with secrets that challenge conventional perceptions. Spanning six 40 to 50-minute episodes, the series unravels a complex narrative shifting perspectives, keeping the viewers captivated from start to finish. With a relentless pursuit of the truth, the characters hang on to their quest amid challenges. And when the puzzles are all solved in the final episode, viewers will be left in awe of the series’ brilliance.
Starting from the perspective of Louise, a single mother, the psychological thriller explores the realms of love, deception, and the supernatural. Wishing to fall in love again, Louise’s search for romance leads her to an encounter with David, who just arrived in town. Though a mysterious chemistry ignites on the night they first met, fate takes a sharp turn the next day as Louise discovers that David is her new boss and even a married man. At first glance, the show seems to follow a typical love triangle cliché with David in the role of the psychiatrist, his wife Adele as a mental patient, and Louise as his part-time secretary.
Love and Deception
However, this love triangle is just the beginning of the story. Beneath David and Adele’s marriage lies secrets that challenge not only the characters but also their reality. Louise’s determination to uncover the truth becomes the driving force as the series progresses. Simultaneously, viewers are presented with unique cinematography techniques such as top-down views and shaky shots that intrigue the audience further as the story develops. Revealing secrets one by one, Behind Her Eyes invites viewers to persist and hang in there alongside its characters as the mystery of their lives gradually unravels.
David’s wife, Adele, enters Louise’s life by chance , sparking an unlikely connection. As their relationship develops, Adele confides in Louise, saying that David married her because of her ancestral property, and hints at many other faults within him. Meanwhile, David and Louise embark on an affair, which leaves Louise in a perplexing situation, torn between her affection for David and her empathetic connection with Adele. As Louise grows closer to Adele after she helps Louise control her night terrors through lucid dreaming techniques, Louise’s suspicions about David intensify. Louise starts to see David as just a liar who wants to sleep with her, and even suspects that he is emotionally and physically abusing Adele. When Louise confronts David, he denies the allegations and warns Louise to keep herself away from him and Adele. This leaves the viewers to ponder the character’s authenticity – who is truly revealing their reality, and who is hiding it? As the story advances, Adele’s past is revealed in chapters containing flashbacks with a character named Rob from the past. An old friend from a mental institution, Rob’s arrival adds an extra layer to the narrative – supernatural elements that transform the story into an even deeper mystery.
Unveiling the Mystical Realms
A notebook, lent to Louise by Adele, becomes the gateway to Rob’s past. Presumed to be Rob’s diary, within the pages lies the instructions of astral projection, an art that enables the transformation of one’s soul or consciousness into a luminous, fairy-like orb, capable of flying to any place without restraint. Practitioners of it can watch, learn, and observe without physical limitations. Following the notebook’s instructions, Louise herself starts on a journey of exploration. Her reading offers viewers glimpses of Rob’s character – a drug addict who loved Adele – adding layers of curiosity surrounding their past relationship. With the new character and supernatural dimensions revealed, Behind Her Eyes gets more interesting as different versions of the same events emerge from varying perspectives. The narrative incorporates flashbacks, providing glimpses of Rob’s fate in the past and the subsequent events. In Adele’s version of the story, it was David who killed Rob in the past. However, David’s version paints a different picture, suggesting that Rob tried to rape Adele by drugging her, which led her to throw Rob down a well. According to David, Adele’s murder was what drove the couple to move. The mystery of Rob’s fate intertwines with the characters’ lives, leading to a deeper exploration of their past and the supernatural elements at play.
As tension increases in the narrative and Louise tries to find out what had happened to Rob, the story takes an unexpected turn – Adele fuses her soul with Louise’s body. This reveals a scary truth that souls can intermingle within a person’s body, but only if the other person’s soul is roaming around through the same astral projection technique. What initially seemed like a generous gesture of lending Louise the notebook reveals itself as a cunning plan to guide her into the world of astral projection, ultimately leading to Adele’s acquisition of Louise’s body. This revelation instantly makes Adele the culprit. Yet there remain unsolved mysteries, raising the question: Is Adele truly to blame? This incident marks a pivotal moment, driving the narrative to reveal its secrets through flashbacks. The interaction between the supernatural and human experiences deepens, promising viewers several astounding revelations yet to be revealed.
With unbelievable twists in the final episode, Behind Her Eyes invites viewers to question their perceptions and judgments. The determination for truth shows the characters’ spirit as well as leads viewers to follow the narrative, anticipating the climactic moment. This series is strongly recommended for fans of psychological thrillers. With its unique themes, supernatural elements, and shocking twists, the series tempts viewers to rewatch to explore the complexities of the characters from a new perspective.
TV Series Information
Release Date: February 17, 2021
Genre: Psychological thriller, Supernatural fiction
Director: Erik Richter Strand Starring: Eve Hewson, Tom Bateman, Simona Brown, Robert Aramayo
Running time: 47-53 minutes, 6 episodes