Undone

S1: Perhaps one of the most painful series disappointments for me. Judging by the reviews, I was expecting an elevated mindblowing adult series with great insight and timeless themes, but I didn't get any of that. Undone boasts very interesting animation, it feels basically a live-action series converted by a computer into animated form, so in terms of visuals it's original and unprecedented. But I have a problem with the rest of it. It's not about any time-bending and space-time traveling at all, but rather the series just leans into it a bit, because for most of the time nothing happens at all, it's a boring story in the present reality following one family, their life and relationships, but the main motif seems to be completely walled off. Undone then looks very unsatisfying to me, I was practically moaning from episode to episode for something to start happening and it didn't actually start until the finale. The last episode then spits out some explanation, but it's terribly abbreviated and "meh”. I was expecting a much different sci-fi carnage, I got a drawn out drama that hardly used its potential at all. On the plus side, the short running time at least passes quickly, so you don’t regret the time spent watching it so much... (25.08.2023)

A mind-bending mindfuck. What you will first find interesting is the distinctive graphic stylization (using slightly sloppy rotoscoping), which you need to get used to for a while. However, this is not a gimmick. Rather, it is used for a reason, because it makes every portrayal and perception of dreamy (non-)reality work absolutely magnificently. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, because Undone is about Alma, a kindergarten teacher and her problems with her mother, sister, friend, job, herself, family history / predisposition to mental illness, moods, relationships, emotions and... Simply put, Alma is one of the most vital female characters in all quality TV production. In the category of “outrageously sympathetic sarcastic bitch", she is unrivaled. And it's not just about her. It would even work really well as a pure drama without the “extra something". But that “extra something" is present here. And in significant amounts. Alma enters a whole new world thanks to a serious car accident. She begins to perceive space-time in four dimensions. And this is where the sophisticated game with the viewer begins, where the creators very consciously juggle many balls (is she still in a coma? Has she stopped taking her meds and sunk into the depths of her madness? Is it really sci-fi based on shamanic experiences?). We will notice that in a certain type of scene, Alma always wears specific clothes and shoes. You will look at Alma both from her point of view as an unreliable narrator and from the outside, from the point of view of the characters close to her. And what a form. There is basically nothing more difficult than “filming" the (il)logic and (non-)continuity of dream (il)logic. Despite the fact that it basically doesn't make sense, as the setting, characters and events change, it nevertheless follows a logical connecting storyline, which paradoxically makes sense. Many have tried, but who has ever really succeeded? Gondry in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is an exception. However, it looks like a piece of cake for the creators of Undone. And they never, not for a moment, forget the fact that it is mainly and above all about Alma and not about holotropic traveling through space and time. | S1: 5/5 | (16.02.2020)