[category]
[title]
Disney+ launched its new psychological drama The Shards with a screening of the first episode at Hotel Sky in Sandton on Wednesday - and the series deserved a better audience than it got.
Adapted from Bret Easton Ellis's novel, the show follows a fictionalised teenage version of the author (played by Igby Rigney) navigating 1980s LA, opening with Bret recalling a memory from watching the film adaptation of Stephen King's The Shining. It's a sharp, layered piece of television. The guests, less so.
When beautiful people are draped in stunning garments and behave like reasonable adults while sipping on alcoholic beverages and nibbling on sushi, it sets an expectation of a certain class and calibre. The overall experience would have been top-tier had the guests maintained their own standard.
Put your phones away, adhere and hush!
Very few guests adhered to the '80s dress theme; the production made up for it with its colour schemes, fashion, and set design. But the disappointing aesthetic among guests was a more forgivable sin than ushers shining lights into the auditorium to get people to put their phones away. The declining attention span on display is a real concern - this was a single episode. How would this crowd cope with a two-hour film?
The disruptively loud chitchat was the kind that would make African parents turn off the screen and yell, "Would you like to take over the performance and have us focus on you instead?" This, of course, was no fault of the production or host. Bluntly, it's disrespectful that, in the presence of people there to review both the episode and the experience, adults consciously choose to make others' jobs harder.
Nothing changes if nothing changes
Novel-to-screenplay adaptations are nothing new; nothing is new under the sun. Even Gucci and beauty standards get a mention — in a series set in the 1980s — a reminder that social media isn't to blame for mankind's superficiality. Bret is extremely disappointed in the adaptation he watched as a boy, a disappointment that many people today share, especially by 21st-century standards. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
What The Shards actually gets right
From vintage drop-top cars and record shops to eyebrows "not on fleek" and a host of bookstores, you've got to respect Hollywood's commitment to authenticity here. But the series's real strength is in its themes: high school anguish and adolescent woes get a genuine spotlight. Next time you see a random teenager, hug them - they're almost certainly going through the worst.
Most '80s-set productions shy away from homosexuality, gender fluidity, and the sexual coercion of young people by the wealthy. The Shards unpacks these stories with the respect and sensitivity that is the birthright of every human being - and it's this, more than the aesthetics, that makes the series worth watching.
Crime drama fans might feel there's too long a gap between the introduction of the serial killer element and a scene that actually delves into it - but Disney+ only unveiled one episode, so there may well be a justifiable reason for the slow build.
Focusing the lens on the series
The streaming platform's screenings are usually held at traditional cinemas, so the hotel setting was a breath of fresh air. And on the upside: streaming The Shards in the privacy of your own home means you won't face the unfortunate disruption of an audience that lacks theatre etiquette.
Follow Time Out Johannesburg on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram! While you're at it, sign up for our newsletter to receive even more of the best of your city.
TIME OUT JOHANNESBURG RECOMMENDS:
📍 The best things to do in Johannesburg
🏨 The best hotels in Johannesburg
🍽 The best restaurants in Johannesburg
🛏️ Where to stay in Johannesburg
📢 Latest news from Johannesburg