'The Girl Before' Review: A slightly predictable but entertaining psychological thriller

While the parallel storyline acts as a smokescreen, the plot feels rather obvious

UPDATED FEB 10, 2022

David Oyelowo as Edward and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Jane in 'The Girl Before' (HBO Max)

If you're on the hunt for a psychological thriller, then 'The Girl Before' should find its way to your list. The synopsis of the series reads, "The Girl Before' tells the story of Jane (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), who gets the chance to move into a beautiful, ultra-minimalist house designed by an enigmatic architect (played by David Oyelowo). There's just one catch: Occupants have to abide by his list of exacting rules. Jane starts to feel the house changing her in unexpected ways but when she makes the shocking discovery that her predecessor Emma died in the house, she's forced to confront unnerving similarities. As the two women's timelines interweave, Jane begins to question if her fate will be the same as the girl before."

If you're looking for similar titles, you might want to check out -- 'Photocopier', 'The Privilege' and 'Suspicion'.

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Right off the bat, the four-part series tries to throw viewers off the trail by painting the house itself as the big bad -- as though there is an unforeseen entity that dooms anyone who dares stay in it. With Jane and Emma's story taking place parallel, they almost seem to blend, seeing that the common denominator in both stories are the house and its architect, Edward. With Ben Hardy's Simon claiming that Edward's (David Oyelowo) first wife and son's death was a form of Hitobashira, a Japanese ritual where a person is sacrificed for the longevity of a building, it certainly solidifies the rumor that Edward is the murderer. However, if you're able to look beyond the smokescreen, it almost seems suspicious how much the plot pushes for this narrative, seeing that it ultimately falls under the troupe of 'it's the person you least suspect'.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Jessica Plummer come at you with compelling performances. The highlight is that even though they are meant to resemble each other, and their stories mirror each other, both Jane and Emma are entirely different people in how they handle things. For Edward, who has desperately been looking for someone to fit the part of his wife Elizabeth, these women seem to 'ruin' it for him, as he forgets to account for the fact that they are individuals themselves. David Oyelowo expressed Edward's psychological trauma compellingly, enough to have you believe that he is possibly the murderer until the half waypoint. Although the build-up to the climax seems rushed and a little predictable, the constantly shifting storyline will have you paying attention to keep up. Whether thats a good thing or a bad thing -- you decide.

All four episodes of 'The Girl Before' are available to stream on HBO Max.