National Treasure Review: Hulu Original Addresses Privilege and Abuse in Emotional Mini-Series

Available on Hulu March 1, 2017

Rating ★★★★★

Through emotionally complex characters and a compelling narrative, National Treasure puts a spotlight on some heavy topics, including fame, privilege, sexual assault, and the consequences when they come crashing together. The search for answers leads the story into areas that are often unsettling.

The four-part UK drama centers on the life of beloved actor and comedian Paul Finchley (Robbie Coltrane) and his family, including his dutiful wife Marie (Julie Walters) and their troubled grown-up daughter Dee (Andrea Riseborough).

As allegations of rape and sexual assault going back years are brought against Paul, the show closely examines the ongoing stress of the public attention and trial on each member of the Finchley family. The strain alters each of their relationships with one another, raising doubts and questions.

The storytelling and narrative of National Treasure are extremely well-crafted, zooming in on small moments that leave deep imprints of personal meaning, and then widening out to place those moments into the overall story arc.

Coltrane, who viewers will recognize as Hagrid from Harry Potter, is both pitiful and empathetic as the genial and charismatic Finchley. The series opens with him as an aging comedy legend, clearly past his peak, but nonetheless respected and liked by both peers and the public. He stops to joke with his neighbor, clearly a routine, and takes time to share intimate moments with his family.

<i>National Treasure</i> Review: Hulu Original Addresses Privilege and Abuse in Emotional Mini-Series 2

Robbie Coltrane as Paul

What makes National Treasure compelling are the intricate relationships Paul shares with both Marie and Dee, and their connections with each other. Marie is portrayed as a long-suffering wife who values honesty over everything, even acknowledging her forgiveness of Paul’s serial philandering. In the light of the allegations and trial, however, everything is called into question.

Riseborough is heartbreaking as Dee, who is in a halfway house at the time of the allegations, struggling with depression, drug addiction, and the aftermath of several suicide attempts. Dee’s pain is obvious, although she attempts to bury it beneath quips and sarcasm. She even struggles with her relationships with her own children and the ability to cope with the reality of her father’s circumstances.

Through Marie and Dee, we see glimpses of the past, including certain key moments tied to the allegations of sexual assault. But these scenes are filtered through their perceptions, giving viewers only a peek of the truth. These flashbacks are woven into the unfolding narrative, adding only snippets of details that inform and clarify the character’s state of mind during pivotal scenes.

<i>National Treasure</i> Review: Hulu Original Addresses Privilege and Abuse in Emotional Mini-Series 3

Andrea Riseborough as Dee

Complementing the narrative, both the cinematography and the score play a large role in highlighting poignant moments. The cinematography reinforces the mood throughout the series, adding color and brightness to scenes with levity, and shadows to moments of uncertainty. Likewise, the score plays a role in increasing the tension, especially in weighty scenes. Especially effective are scenes that suspend and muffle the sound altogether, causing viewers to experience the overwhelming numbness and anxiety the actors portray on screen.

Despite sharing its name with a Nicholas Cage romp, National Treasure is almost the complete opposite, attempting to grapple with deeply emotional topics like rape and sexual assault that are launched into the public eye. This story is particularly relevant in our current cultural climate, bringing to mind such sexual assault cases as those involving actor and comedian Bill Cosby, and Brock Turner, a Stanford college freshman who served a mere three-month sentence for rape in March 2016.

Despite an overall deeply emotional and engrossing story, National Treasure’s main issue is its problematic story focus. The alleged victims’ stories are largely absent or filtered so much through skewed perspectives that they lose their meaning.

<i>National Treasure</i> Review: Hulu Original Addresses Privilege and Abuse in Emotional Mini-Series 4

Robbie Coltrane and Julie Walters

Although I understand these scenes are meant to be unsettling, the problem here is not that the accused and their loved ones suffer the consequences of the public trial and resulting press coverage; it’s that stories like these reinforce the public’s interpretation of the victims. They are questioned and portrayed as loose women and emotionally unstable time bombs. It is ideas like these that keep victims from coming forward and why so few rape cases are prosecuted and even less perpetrators convicted. This is true for National Treasure and although these ideas are meant to be unsettling, I feel the narrative does little to change this.

Overall, I recommend National Treasure to fans of hard-hitting dramas, but only with the caveat that the victims and their stories remain largely missing. To me, that is crucial for a piece like this.

National Treasure debuts on Hulu March 1.

For more information on National Treasure, visit its website

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Erin Richards-Kunkel

The one with the overly-active imagination! Erin is a fan of all things storytelling in every form (movies, books, shows, podcasts, you name it). She is known for always carrying a book in her bag as well as paper and pen (just in case). She is also currently working on her debut YA novel. Find her on Twitter @ErinSRichards!