Final voting is in progress for the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards, and “Baby Reindeer” has not lost any staying power. The seven-episode limited series premiered on Netflix four months ago and quickly became a phenomenon. As harrowing as it is enthralling, “Baby Reindeer” brings a comedian’s real-life story from page (and stage) to screen. Emmy-nominated creator, writer, and star Richard Gadd plays jobbing standup artist Donny, who is stalked by a woman named Martha (Emmy nominee Jessica Gunning). Her behavior triggers the buried trauma that led to Donny’s intense internalized shame and self-loathing.
The series made a massive cultural impact for its visceral storytelling; subjects such as stalking and sexual assault were met with informed, nuanced depictions. Gadd’s writing provided courageous grounds for the engagement of cast and crew, including Weronika Tofilska, director of episodes one through four. Tofilska is vying for her first Emmy for the fourth episode, which respectfully dramatizes a traumatic experience in Donny’s life. It’s one of the most powerful, heartbreaking television episodes, and crucially maintains Donny’s perspective at the narrative center. It’s also a brilliant testament to the director’s sensibilities, an appropriate match for a drama that is so complex in tone.
Visually and narratively, episode four ends where episode one begins. This provides a resonating context for why Donny initially hesitates to report his stalker and why he feels connected to her in the first place. Having both episodes work so delicately in tandem conveys the haunting, painful cycle of abuse that Donny is going through. Martha’s actions unwittingly bring the conversation back to a few years prior, depicted in the confessional episode four, when Donny is pursuing his love of comedy at the Edinburgh Arts Festival. While there, he meets a man who grooms and manipulates him, leading to a harrowing sexual assault, as well as subsequent years of self-loathing.
Tofilska’s sensitive direction roots the Emmy-nominated fourth episode in Donny’s emotions. She finds a balance between respecting Gadd’s real-life experiences and not shying away from his courage. This turning point in the story also transcends what many viewers had expected going into this show. “Baby Reindeer” is more than just a thriller about a stalker; the show also confronts the culture of silence protecting abusers. Plus, it meets the high stakes of a personal story with a delicately woven character study. Donny’s voiceover-driven perspective is centered from the start, and by setting that standard early on, Tofilska paves a clear path for director Josephine Bornebusch to follow brilliantly with episodes five through seven.
Just as “Baby Reindeer” incorporates much of Gadd’s personality from his acting and writing, naturally, the direction picks up on elements of his comedic nature. The story has a serious throughline, but the use of dark humor and playfulness creates a unique balance in the tone. This balance gives the show an incredibly distinctive aesthetic and language. The distorted world-building evokes the feeling of something conflicting and speaks to Donny’s emotional state. His voice is so deeply in focus that another character’s perspective would completely change the overall narrative. For instance, Martha’s perspective would bring an entirely different tone to the story.
Tofilska keeps the story consistently aligned with Donny and exercises neat ways of visualizing his stream of consciousness. From the voiceover and camera angles to the use of location, color palettes, and song choices, the artistry of “Baby Reindeer” shines. Episodes one through four have frequent close-ups that emphasize perspective and build on character. In episode one, Donny and Martha are framed very closely in their first scene together, which creates a perceived closeness between them. In episode two, when Teri (Emmy nominee Nava Mau) asks Donny for a kiss, he steps off the subway, and the two share an intense look. Echoes of Jonathan Demme’s filmmaking style come through in the many instances where characters almost look directly into the camera. The camera also skillfully plays with distance. In episode three’s comedy club scene, which depicts Martha interrupting Donny’s set, the camera stays close to him and keeps her at a distance, evoking tension.
The comedy club is Donny’s safe space to share, as seen later with his devastating breakdown in episode six. That place gives him the room and opportunity for expression, which speaks to the detailed attention given to locations early on. In stellar collaboration with the show’s production designer Debbie Burton, Tofilska highlights the personality of each set. From the pub and the comedy club to Martha’s flat, a strong sense of loneliness can be felt, as though the characters’ emotions have designed the interiors and informed the color palettes. Many interiors have a yellow-green palette that adds to the mixed narrative tones. With yellow and green not being complimentary colors, putting the two together brings out conflicting emotions. The comedy club interiors focus on shades of red, a color of anger and passion, which helps visualize Donny’s mindset.
“Baby Reindeer” also works wonders sonically. The music choices experiment with tone and add layers to the context of a scene. The end of episode one is a quintessential example. As Donny searches through the incriminating internet history on Martha, a friend request from her suddenly pops up. Frenetic edits between his face and the computer screen build tension, as “Happy Together” by The Turtles plays in the background. The song’s upbeat melody is about the idealization of love, and to hear it in the context of a scary sequence makes an intriguing impact. These two characters might be more emotionally alike than one might assume on paper. Whichever direction this show goes, what remains constant is that the depictions of both Donny and Martha are deeply human.
The incredible direction of “Baby Reindeer” retains the humanity and courage of Richard Gadd’s story. With its unflinching nature and immense care towards the subject matter, the show richly deserves its 11 Emmy nominations. Tofilska, in particular, brings a respectful approach to the heart-wrenching fourth episode, which explains why Donny acts the way he does throughout episodes one to three. Hopefully, the Television Academy will recognize her tremendous collaborative work in visualizing “Baby Reindeer” to the screen.
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