
In “The Girlfriend”, the truth is fluid, susceptible to distortion due to personal biases, judgments, whims, and preferences. To wealthy gallery owner Laura, portrayed by Robin Wright, her son’s new girlfriend appears as a dishonest opportunist, manipulating academic and professional achievements while provoking Laura by performing intimate acts with Daniel (Laurie Davidson) in broad daylight within Laura’s home. On the other hand, to the ambitious and working-class Cherry (Olivia Cooke), Laura is depicted as an overprotective mother who fails to trust her 27-year-old son’s decision-making abilities and mistreats Cherry as though she were dirt on the soles of Laura’s designer shoes. Somewhere between these two perspectives could lie the truth, and “The Girlfriend” encourages viewers to form their own opinions by dividing each episode into segments exploring Laura’s and Cherry’s individual experiences of shared events. This limited series employs a Rashomon-inspired approach, compelling audiences to frequently switch between sympathizing with either Laura or Cherry, oscillating between thoughts like “This woman seems compassionate” and “This woman is clearly out of her mind”.