TeenzTen
An action-packed slog
Kailansorac
Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.
WillSushyMedia
This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.
Haven Kaycee
It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film
maggiegreenwald
An important and compelling story told by a privileged white male with little or no knowledge of transracial adoption, or probably any adoption. As a transracial adoptee mother, I found the script trivialized very deep and profound issues, reducing them to birth and race. Sorry Jack Thorne, it aint that simple. Amazing cast, though I found Lia Williams/Ally too annoying, though I'm sure the writer & director intended the adoptive mother to be awful, as we are typically portrayed by male writers with mommy issues. Again, the directing by another privileged white man, Euros Lyn had excellent good camera work. compelling production design and good staging but lacked real intimate connection with the material.
paul2001sw-1
Kiri tells the taught story of the murder of a girl in foster care. In addition to a mystery - who did it the deed? - there is also a persistent theme about the inhumanity of modern insitutions, and how a culture of accountability leads to a focus on competence in the narrowest of senses, a determination to keep control of the narrative, and a fundamental lack of empathy for those who are nominally served. It feels horrific and believable, but it's also one of those stories that would be overwhelmingly powerful if true. After all, even Harry Potter had to deal with Dolores Umbridge; the fact that a certain type of monster is a well-estanblished trope is not necessarily an acccurate reflection of the state of the world. Judged purely as drama, it suffers from the fact that its protagonists are sympathetic only to the extent that they are victims; there's little nuance in its portrait of power. Sarah Lancashire, playing a scapegoated social worker, is as excellent as you would expect; Lia Williams is also good, albeit in a somewhat contrived role. It's far from a bad series - but it's too schematic to have the full emotional impact to which it aspires.
karenm-86960
I would have rated higher if it wasn't for the ending. I did really enjoy this series but the ending was disappointing. Why do all films and tv programs these days have to have dubious endings where you have to guess what is actually going to happen instead of just rounding off the story? Back in the 80's or 90's this didn't happen the story reached a conclusion. Oh and Sarah Lancashire is brilliant and was not in the story enough for me.
ianlouisiana
.....they are all despised by the the Tabloid Press and a large percentage of its readers.
As a result of several tragic high - profile cases in recent years,local government
Childrens' Services have been vilified and individual Social Workers hounded out of their jobs and the sterling work that most of them do it is conveniently forgotten.
"Kiri" starts off with a compassionate and well - meaning social worker making the decision to allow a young black girl about to be adopted by white parents visit her blood grandparents.
When the child fails to return home and is rather quickly found murdered,Miriam
(Miss S.Lancashire ,convincing dowdy - down but not out;hanging in there)
is hung out to dry by her superiors,all keen to distance themselves from her.
"99% of the time you're a brilliant social worker...." her boss says as she spears her in the back.
Sporting a convincing Bristol accent,Miss Lancashire has no trouble sweeping "Kiri" along in her wake.Not since "Happy Valley" has British TV presented a female character so dominating.
In this first episode most of the other characters are hastily sketched,leaving Miriam alone to be fleshed out as a real human being.
This may change as the series continues,but right now we are looking at yet another triumph,another award - winning role for one of our best T.V actresses.
She is in danger of giving Social Workers a good name.