The review I just read suggests that I watched a different mini-series. However, that is not so. The difference of opinion, fortunately, is just that. Some people like me liked it, others like the person who gave it two stars obviously did not. It is not high-brow, but it is interesting and entertaining, and at least to me, that's enough. Sarah Snook deserves good scripts, and this one probably did not stretch her. Worth a look and a listen because some of the music is very interesting, and I found the emotional tension quite realistic. The irrational behaviours exhibited by several of the characters were believable, and not unlike what I have seen in real life. Not all productions are going to be highly cerebral, and that is alright because sometimes it is entertaining to just watch, not think too much, and enjoy watching reasonable actors and actresses.
36 Reviews
Very watchable
Tushpi15 November 2015
I am not really sure how true to the famous novel this telling is. I have never read the book. Viewing this with no pre conceived notions I find it very enjoyable. The main characters are very appealing visually and you can't help connecting emotionally. Kitty and Anna are both beautiful in totally different ways and both flawed and frustrating in different ways as well. At times I found myself rooting for each of them and other times wishing to shake them for their self centerness and foolishness. Either way they are compulsively watchable, light up the screen. These two actresses will go far I am sure. Overall it is a very talented cast. All of the supporting cast turn in fine performances, are very well written. Perhaps Kitty's parents characters are a bit lightly drawn. I love this series and commend all involved. Good TV viewing.
Moody,dramatic yet good
jk-692-23639415 November 2015
I am very much enjoying this mini series. I have never read or seen Anna Karenina so I am not comparing it to that. I see this as a very realistic, and rather stylish and moody take on cheating and sudden attraction. Then chronicling the destruction and fall out which follows. I feel like they have not made it look pretty or fun or easy either. Everyone has been dramatically affected by the main characters choice to embark on an affair. The obvious people like her husband and little boy, but also the people all around her that she hurt. She cries in episode 5, I have lost my family, meaning all the extra people who form our families, not just her blood family and ex. Skeet, the man she cheats with, is interesting to me. I like the actor and I have never seen him before. What I found so interesting is how she meets his mother on a plane ride just before she meets him and the Mother clearly tells her how Skeet never stays with women. He moves on and loses interest quickly. It was like she got this very intimate run down on the guy from his Mom, but her sexual attraction blitzed her brain. I found the side story of the insecure young women who was engaged to Skeet and then finds love after, and the alcoholic brother and his brother moving and well done. There is one episode left and I have no idea how this is all going to turn out, but I am looking forward to it.
Enticing, enthralling and sumptuous.....
HiSpidey3 July 2019
I stumbled upon this by chance and within the first five minutes I was hooked and couldn't stop watching.
I found this series to be elegant, funny, heartbreaking and thought provoking - I was laughing in one episode and in tears in the next. It dealt with love, loss, death, life, birth and depression with humour and tenderness. It was hard to feel angry at those who were written to be just so human.
Produced by the dream team of John Edwards and Imogen Banks the witty but real dialogue, the amazing cinematography, the soundtrack and the actors made this one of the best pieces of Australian TV I've seen in a while (and I'm Australian).
Simply put, I loved it. Can't wait to watch it again.....
I found this series to be elegant, funny, heartbreaking and thought provoking - I was laughing in one episode and in tears in the next. It dealt with love, loss, death, life, birth and depression with humour and tenderness. It was hard to feel angry at those who were written to be just so human.
Produced by the dream team of John Edwards and Imogen Banks the witty but real dialogue, the amazing cinematography, the soundtrack and the actors made this one of the best pieces of Australian TV I've seen in a while (and I'm Australian).
Simply put, I loved it. Can't wait to watch it again.....
..almost from the very beginning they tell you how it's going to end (for her anyway)
bjarias27 November 2015
One of the key lines of the series.. "with Skeet I feel like a starving person who's been given food... and with Xander I think I've married an abacus". Anna discovers and is completely consumed by unbridled sex. And finds herself incapable/ unwilling of making the sacrifice to abandon it.. and what comes next permanently locks her in, and ultimately determines her fate. You must watch it more than once to truly discover how remarkable a production it really is. This is one of the great new relationship series you will come across, and Sarah Snook's portrayal of Anna is beyond just good, she is absolutely mesmerizing. By far, her most outstanding work to date.. and it is her performance that drives this series, and makes it well worth the time spent watching. I think she is just an amazing actor.. ever since seeing her in 'Not Suitable For Children'. If you have not seen this wonderful little film, be sure and search it out, it is by far one of the best of the recent rom-com genre. There's little doubt, she's one of the top acting talents out there today. The Beautiful Lie is another well produced AU drama. The Australians just seem to be able to crank them out with such ease.. wish we could do as well here in this country. This is an easy 10 rating, and would go higher if possible.. don't dare miss it.
[9.5] One of the best mini-series on love, lies and betrayal
cjonesas17 June 2020
The Beautiful Lie is a surprisingly well-made Australian gem and possibly the best TV mini-series out there on love, betrayal and disillusion.
It tells its story simply yet awesomely, is backed by a stellar main and supporting cast who play so believably and is led by the brilliant and sun-like Sarah Snook. This actress does such an amazing job, performs at such a high level that the other actors are merely gravitating around her and bowing imperceptibly to her huge talent.
The story is so gripping, so riveting that many times, I thought to myself that it is so well-made that it's dangerous, may well be setting some new precedences and making some people wanna reconsider their relationships. It is that good and that award-worthy.
The series flows with amazing ease, is easy on the eyes and enthralls you emotionally. It is captivating like a snake looking at and hypnotizing its prey.
It's an original masterpiece, well worth watching and re-watching, while pondering on the dangers of lies, told beautifully, but nevertheless lies.
It tells its story simply yet awesomely, is backed by a stellar main and supporting cast who play so believably and is led by the brilliant and sun-like Sarah Snook. This actress does such an amazing job, performs at such a high level that the other actors are merely gravitating around her and bowing imperceptibly to her huge talent.
The story is so gripping, so riveting that many times, I thought to myself that it is so well-made that it's dangerous, may well be setting some new precedences and making some people wanna reconsider their relationships. It is that good and that award-worthy.
The series flows with amazing ease, is easy on the eyes and enthralls you emotionally. It is captivating like a snake looking at and hypnotizing its prey.
It's an original masterpiece, well worth watching and re-watching, while pondering on the dangers of lies, told beautifully, but nevertheless lies.
Simplistic version of a classic
cmarlborough21 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I love the story of Anna Karenina but this version is a little too simplistic and misses some of the societal complexity that the novel explores. However the thing that really got to me was Anna- in a modernised version she becomes completely unsympathetic. A woman who leaves her son behind, seems to care little for her second child and is so self absorbed that she is unable to see the damage she has done to her husband, her son, her daughter, Kitty and even her lover. It's painful to watch, it made me want to shout at her. When she died at the end it felt less like a tragedy and more like what she deserved.
Brilliant Australian television
katemiller-1808313 June 2016
I wasn't 100% sure about this show, being a huge fan of Tolstoy, so I was pleasantly surprised at the drama and the consistency with the storyline of Anna Karenina. The casting was superb, and the setting was surprisingly consistent.
Sarah Snook as Anna was an amazing casting choice. Her portrayal was perfect, beginning to end. She played out the snowball of drama that came about from that initial decision in such a meticulous way, drawing it out and making me (i.e. the viewer) feel the heart-wrenching conclusion to this classical story in a surprisingly new way.
The other noteworthy casting choices: Sophie Lowe as Kitty (that melodramatic, super-clingy and naive little girl who transitions into a mature, considerate woman); Daniel Henshall and Celia Pacquola as Kingsley and Dollly; and Alexander England as Peter.
If you want to experience Tolstoy in a new and unexpected way, give this series a try. (It's also incredibly easy to binge-watch.)
Sarah Snook as Anna was an amazing casting choice. Her portrayal was perfect, beginning to end. She played out the snowball of drama that came about from that initial decision in such a meticulous way, drawing it out and making me (i.e. the viewer) feel the heart-wrenching conclusion to this classical story in a surprisingly new way.
The other noteworthy casting choices: Sophie Lowe as Kitty (that melodramatic, super-clingy and naive little girl who transitions into a mature, considerate woman); Daniel Henshall and Celia Pacquola as Kingsley and Dollly; and Alexander England as Peter.
If you want to experience Tolstoy in a new and unexpected way, give this series a try. (It's also incredibly easy to binge-watch.)
Painful but Realistic
patricia-haertlein27 January 2022
This is a visually pleasing but painful depiction of how foolish we can be, especially in relative youth. From the outside looking in, we in the audience cringe at the boneheaded choices so many of the characters make. Sadly, it's true to life in many ways.
NO CHEMISTRY
umbe-8193925 January 2022
Watching this show was a waste of hours I'll never get back. The "instant" romance between Anna.and Skeet was just not believable. I read Anna. Karenina and I know the plot which this show attempted to follow. However, the producers should have tried harder to find a more credible Skeet. Anna has a handsome, loving husband and wants to throw it all away with a greaseball loser with no redeeming virtues. At least they could have shaved the horrible facial hair. There was just no believable chemistry between these two characters. I can't recommend spending even ten minutes watching this bomb. Great scenery, however.
This is not a remake of Anna Karenina. It's a comedy drama in it's own right.
matt-rixon9 May 2016
I think it's a little sad that people approach this charming mini-series expecting familiar Anna Karenina players, dialogue and scenery. I don't think the creators ever intended that. It exudes charm, wit and passion from the very start, but in its own way. Sure, matching the characters with their Tolstoy counterparts is entertaining, but this modern story stands alone. The character portrayals are engaging and the adaptation of the plot accessible to everyone. The Australian brand humour is masterful and draws well on multiple comedians in the cast. Celia Pacquola as Dolly is especially rewarding. Sarah Snook in the lead role of Anna is a revelation. Such a virtuoso! She is definitely someone to watch out for (go ahead and put her on your watch list). Even the creepy and sleazy Skeet, whom we can't help but dislike (or maybe that is just me) plays the role so you want to see the next creepy thing he'll do. The only let down for me was the music. Skeet is a musician / mixer. The sounds coming from his group during the show, and sometimes used as interlude music, is a slow wailing death. All in all it's a funny and tragic love story with a ton of story line and characters to keep you laughing, frowning and perplexed by the actions of seemingly sensible people who will become your friends. I guarantee you'll miss these friends after the final episode.
Realistic and bittersweet.
Citygal9212 June 2021
A beautiful son, husband and home.. We all have our youth to explore fantasies and passionate love that will never work, but the selfish main character made me sick. I love Sarah Snook, and I do believe this series is worth watching... but man, did she ruin her own life or what? I feel no empathy or sympathy for her. What you reap is what you sow.
Totally Stupid.
ronaldalamascus-9050618 February 2022
The beautiful lie is well named
zippo816 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Because it is just that, a beautiful lie as far removed from real life as anything can be.
What is real life is the tragic sight of Skeet holding Vivienne alone and fractured.
That is real life.
Anna's grand passion is so beguiling, the clarion call to touch the wild thing, the wild thing will present itself sooner or later, to those who have the calling, some of us have the Anna Karenina factor in our make up, some of us do not.
Who is the luckier?
I don't know, I want to choose the wild thing but boy for the thrill of it all, the price is so high, as Tolstoy graphically showed us in his masterpiece.
This imagining does not insult the masterwork, on the contrary thanks to the depth, personality, character, and flair brought to bear by the writers, producers and performers assembled, who carry this off with a commendable combination of dark humour, deepest pathos, focused dialogue (that is mercifully controlled never tipping overly into boring cliche, though coming close enough to show, this is what people do and say in these situations), also there is a solid grounding in reality, how this would really go down for all players concerned, along with a sufficiently intense and pulsating depiction of the grand passion for us to get it , to want it for ourselves.
The characters (both supports and central), are very well drawn each with their individual contribution from high spirited Dolly to down to earth Helen, to enraptured (what a performance from Sarah Snook), fragile Anna, to Xander who is played so well by Roger Corsar showing those first fledgling steps towards acceptance, growth, processing pain after the disbelief grief and outrage passes, all his words and responses are understandable, relatable.
Kitty, Kingsley, Nick, Peter (special hearts to him) all added so much as well.
Benedict Samuel strikes a perfect note as Skeet. We don't get to know him too well, great, we don't need to, he does not do a lot of talking, great,we don't need him to, he barely changes his outfit, he barely combs his hair, good he needs to be somehow out of reach, a representation of something mysterious to lust after then when he does need to show fire in his dialogue, his body language, to demonstrate to us the awful reality of his situation, and what it is causing him to feel, he rises to the occasion with just the right mix of anguish, helplessness and grief.
Suddenly he is very accessible.
We feel for him.
I felt for Skeet more than I ever felt for Count Vronsky and that's saying something :) Thanks to all concerned with this production, great work, really. Hope lots more people watch it.
What is real life is the tragic sight of Skeet holding Vivienne alone and fractured.
That is real life.
Anna's grand passion is so beguiling, the clarion call to touch the wild thing, the wild thing will present itself sooner or later, to those who have the calling, some of us have the Anna Karenina factor in our make up, some of us do not.
Who is the luckier?
I don't know, I want to choose the wild thing but boy for the thrill of it all, the price is so high, as Tolstoy graphically showed us in his masterpiece.
This imagining does not insult the masterwork, on the contrary thanks to the depth, personality, character, and flair brought to bear by the writers, producers and performers assembled, who carry this off with a commendable combination of dark humour, deepest pathos, focused dialogue (that is mercifully controlled never tipping overly into boring cliche, though coming close enough to show, this is what people do and say in these situations), also there is a solid grounding in reality, how this would really go down for all players concerned, along with a sufficiently intense and pulsating depiction of the grand passion for us to get it , to want it for ourselves.
The characters (both supports and central), are very well drawn each with their individual contribution from high spirited Dolly to down to earth Helen, to enraptured (what a performance from Sarah Snook), fragile Anna, to Xander who is played so well by Roger Corsar showing those first fledgling steps towards acceptance, growth, processing pain after the disbelief grief and outrage passes, all his words and responses are understandable, relatable.
Kitty, Kingsley, Nick, Peter (special hearts to him) all added so much as well.
Benedict Samuel strikes a perfect note as Skeet. We don't get to know him too well, great, we don't need to, he does not do a lot of talking, great,we don't need him to, he barely changes his outfit, he barely combs his hair, good he needs to be somehow out of reach, a representation of something mysterious to lust after then when he does need to show fire in his dialogue, his body language, to demonstrate to us the awful reality of his situation, and what it is causing him to feel, he rises to the occasion with just the right mix of anguish, helplessness and grief.
Suddenly he is very accessible.
We feel for him.
I felt for Skeet more than I ever felt for Count Vronsky and that's saying something :) Thanks to all concerned with this production, great work, really. Hope lots more people watch it.
Very good production
mosquitobite13 June 2021
This is a binge certainty guys, so buckle in with your popcorn
Great performances great characters very affecting.
Whoever said on here Benjamin Samuel wasn't right as Skeet, I'm not getting that at all, he was perfect.
And what a superb performance from Sarah Snook, but everyone did a terrific job, and it's quite well written too which so often is not the case
This is on Netflix oz now so hopefully some more reviews will turn up here. Thanks to all involved, these themes are eternal and an intrinsic part of the human condition. Tolstoy brought us the masterpiece of the price for sidestepping the road less travelled, and The Beautiful Lie serves as a pretty good contemporary re imagining.
Great performances great characters very affecting.
Whoever said on here Benjamin Samuel wasn't right as Skeet, I'm not getting that at all, he was perfect.
And what a superb performance from Sarah Snook, but everyone did a terrific job, and it's quite well written too which so often is not the case
This is on Netflix oz now so hopefully some more reviews will turn up here. Thanks to all involved, these themes are eternal and an intrinsic part of the human condition. Tolstoy brought us the masterpiece of the price for sidestepping the road less travelled, and The Beautiful Lie serves as a pretty good contemporary re imagining.
Best short Australian series ever !
lucienm-6032115 June 2021
Well done but so sad
nhoelbl1116 June 2020
Everything in this movie makes the viewer feel off balance. I guess that is the intent, effective. I finished this series last night and I still feel icky. Twilight zone type icky, like "how could anyone be this stupid" icky...great acting by all. I always enjoy Rodger Corser and Sarah Snook, but...Benedict Samuel was miscast as Skeet. He is an excellent actor, I just didn't like him for this role.
Heartbreaking in so many ways
ThatGirlMicky23 March 2021
As you watch her life fall between her fingers, you can't help but want to rescue her, but this is the catch for me, I wasn't so keen on her really, she didn't stand for the same morals as I did and she stayed with someone who I believed didn't respect her enough, but she perservered, I guess she had no choice? She had already made mistakes that led her to where she ended, I felt she was trapped and I felt why she would feel it, I was so desperate to scream out so many times and to give her advise. The ending made me cry. I'm sure this happens a lot in real life, your life spiraling out of control...
Give this a watch for sure.
Give this a watch for sure.
Casting fail big time
annalignou11 March 2024
I would have given this series a much higher rating if it was not for the total casting failure of Skeet's character. Everything else was great in this series but why on earth would you cast such a non entity as Skeet is beyond me. There is no chemistry between the main actors, The actor playing Skeet is unable to bring any gravitas to the role, I don't even think he even read the book to understand who he was playing but ultimately this is a major casting director's fault. Why cast this actor?? They were on a very good thing and threw it all away by this single but very important mistake. Shame.
Anna Karenina for dummies for whom Cliff's notes are too deep.
lmyager26 January 2022
Tolstoy's tale had layer after layer of drama with complex characters. This series is as predictable as a Lifetime movie.
Then there's the issue that the "forbidden love" character is just not believable. Tolstoy's complexity is totally lost in this drama. The only thing similar to his novel and earlier versions is the main character's first name.
Then there's the issue that the "forbidden love" character is just not believable. Tolstoy's complexity is totally lost in this drama. The only thing similar to his novel and earlier versions is the main character's first name.
Beautiful Work of Art
heibeinh4 February 2022
This show is a beautiful amalgamation of writing and actin and directing. We were totally immersed!
Sarah Snook (whom we know from Succession) is brilliant as are the supporting actors. Kudos to Acorn TV here in Canada!
Sarah Snook (whom we know from Succession) is brilliant as are the supporting actors. Kudos to Acorn TV here in Canada!
Kasper
staffrodite5 April 2020
Remake the Anna Karenina
denidard3 November 2021
At the beginning of the new episode the first few minutes my imagination immediately fell on an anna karenina film, this is a modern version. So you can predict the storyline and the forbidden love story full of lies and disgusting by Anna who already has a good husband and cute son. It's crazy to destroy a family for the sake of sexual desire...
Haunting modern Australian retelling of Tolstoy's classic Anna Karenina.
cgvsluis15 March 2023
This miniseries starts with the haunting narration of Anna as she foreshadows her imminent death. Visually we are brought in to this modern Australian retelling of Leo Tolstoy's tragic classic Anna Karenina, through Anna and Xander Ivan's ultra modern home. These two seem to have an idyllic life. Married former national tennis stars with one son, they are living the dream until one fateful plane ride...Kingsley Faraday, Anna's brother, gets caught cheating on his wife with their au pair. His wife, Dolly a mother of three, is beside herself. Anna flies home to help with the situation and on the plane meets Tess Du Pont, a woman who is not only sympathetic, but easy to talk to. Anna opens up and shares some honest truths that shine the light on some cracks in her perfect life. Once off the plane, she meets Skeet Du Pont (Tess' son) when he picks up his mother at the airport. All three witness a horrific accident of a taxi cab driver that results in his death. This impacts both Skeet and Anna tremendously.
The two don't meet again until Skeet's engagement party, in which he is engaged to Kitty, Dolly's sister. The two end up in a sexual relationship that ends up impacting their entire families in the most amazing way with some beautiful and some tragic consequences.
The acting in this series was spectacular and the way the story was modernized, making it accessible for the masses make this series a must see. The music added by both the soundtrack and through Skeet's job as a producer was wonderful and worth a listen...I found my self Shazamming several tracks including..."Heaven for You" by Delaney Davidson and Marlon Williams.
The cast was perfectly suited to their roles...but I really wanted to mention the amazing performance by Sophie Lowe, who played Kitty. She had the largest breadth of growth in her character from shallow and self-centered to finally looking outward and thinking of others. Of course the disintegration of the character of Anna by Sarah Snook, was also really well done and everything was held together so immaculately by the rich supporting cast.
This is a big recommendation from me. I actually went into it not expecting to like it and was thoroughly won over.
The two don't meet again until Skeet's engagement party, in which he is engaged to Kitty, Dolly's sister. The two end up in a sexual relationship that ends up impacting their entire families in the most amazing way with some beautiful and some tragic consequences.
The acting in this series was spectacular and the way the story was modernized, making it accessible for the masses make this series a must see. The music added by both the soundtrack and through Skeet's job as a producer was wonderful and worth a listen...I found my self Shazamming several tracks including..."Heaven for You" by Delaney Davidson and Marlon Williams.
The cast was perfectly suited to their roles...but I really wanted to mention the amazing performance by Sophie Lowe, who played Kitty. She had the largest breadth of growth in her character from shallow and self-centered to finally looking outward and thinking of others. Of course the disintegration of the character of Anna by Sarah Snook, was also really well done and everything was held together so immaculately by the rich supporting cast.
This is a big recommendation from me. I actually went into it not expecting to like it and was thoroughly won over.
Beats the book and the 1948 Movie version IMHO
thejdrage12 January 2024
As an avid reader, it has always been a secret shame of mine that I could never finish Tolstoy's 1,000 page book which is the base for this series. (Though singer/"actor" Marlong Williams claims in his IMDB Bio that it is his music which moves the film along. His music is unique and added a lot to the the series, but to compare himself to Tolstoy is a massive leap in the ego arena, IMHO.)
Back to the actual film. I also watched the 1948 movie version of the book (for a book report, I confess), and was BEGGING that particular Anna to throw herself under the train LONG before the end and end MY misery, thus enforcing my skepticism of the book.
I checked out The Beautiful Lie because of Sarah Snook and binged it because of its connection to Tolstoy's classic book and the fact these actors AND the story drew me along with them.
And, finally I get it - I understand it! WOW! Australia got it right! They put together a brilliant series with complex and brutally flawed characters that we all know if we are honest with ourselves. It puts people in situations a lot of us have probably been in once or twice. (You've been at THAT dinner where you finally kept your mouth shut but your eyes were far to wide open and you couldn't believe what was being said!)
You get to watch people grow and morph - and find their truth, no matter how sad or ugly or lovely.
Thank you, Tolstoy! (NO!! I will NO read the book!)
Back to the actual film. I also watched the 1948 movie version of the book (for a book report, I confess), and was BEGGING that particular Anna to throw herself under the train LONG before the end and end MY misery, thus enforcing my skepticism of the book.
I checked out The Beautiful Lie because of Sarah Snook and binged it because of its connection to Tolstoy's classic book and the fact these actors AND the story drew me along with them.
And, finally I get it - I understand it! WOW! Australia got it right! They put together a brilliant series with complex and brutally flawed characters that we all know if we are honest with ourselves. It puts people in situations a lot of us have probably been in once or twice. (You've been at THAT dinner where you finally kept your mouth shut but your eyes were far to wide open and you couldn't believe what was being said!)
You get to watch people grow and morph - and find their truth, no matter how sad or ugly or lovely.
Thank you, Tolstoy! (NO!! I will NO read the book!)
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