Is Stateless any good? Worth your time? A review

Stateless is a new Netflix limited series co-created by Cate Blanchett, Tony Ayres, and Elise McCredle. The series saw actor Cate Blanchett debut as a television producer and has been much-awaited.

Stateless draws inspiration from the life of Cornelia Rau, a former flight attendant. She was imprisoned for 10-months in an Australian immigration detention center. Her story had sparked national debate down under.

The subject matter is worthy, the production value is high and the acting is exquisite. Stateless is clear that refugees should be approached with compassion rather than hate-politics rooted in prejudice.

What’s troubling is that the narrative comes in a predominantly white package.

1. Quick Review

The limited series is about the troubled history of Australia’s mandatory-detention system for immigrants without visas. The narrative zooms in specifically to the centers where asylum seekers are caged and warehoused while their cases are processed.

There are four main characters, from very different life circumstances, who will be deeply affected by the punishing grind of an inhumane system. Stateless is revealing, but it plays out in ways that are almost entirely predictable.

2. Info

3. Is it worth watching?

On the surface, Stateless has the makings of an excellent drama. The first episode succeeds in grabbing the viewer’s attention with a fine cast and compelling performances. However, there isn’t much of a flow between the stories.

Stateless | Official Trailer | Netflix

The six episodes of the limited series are well-acted, well-made, and probably well intentioned. However, the series made a mistake by focusing on one wealthy, privileged white victim and casting three of the four detainees as white people.

Stateless gifts huge components of its hour-long episodes to portraying the inner life of Sofie, a white woman. Her role in the story exists mainly to emphasize the toxic effect white privilege can have on immigration policy.

The story of a white woman mistakenly falling into the immigration system enraged the public more than repeated proof of abuses against people of color. This, to say in the least, is problematic. The series peels off layers to expose the xenophobia it probably doesn’t intend to.

I wish the majority of screen time had been focused on the actual brown token-diversity refugee. Although his character has an engaging backstory and ample room, his story is perhaps the least developed part of Stateless’ four-pronged narrative.

I. Plot

Stateless is comprised of four central plots.

First is the story of Australian permanent resident Sofie Werner (played by Yvonne Strahovski), a woman with a mental illness who is mistakenly held in a detention program. Largely based on Cornelia Rau, her case helped defunct Australia’s Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs.

The second is the story of Ameer (played by Fayssal Bazzi), a refugee who flees the Taliban in Afghanistan. He flees to Australia with his wife and two daughters. However, they find themselves indefinitely held prisoner in a country they want to call home.

The third and fourth stories revolve around two immigration policy enforcers: family man/guard Cam Standford (played by Jai Courtney) and a perpetually-frazzled administrator Claire Kowitz (played by Asher Keddie).

For the most part, these characters’ experiences run parallel, and only only intersect in the final chapter. By showing the individuals’ experiences realistically, Stateless offers viewers a better understanding of the subject matter.

II. Music and Visuals

The music director of this limited series is Cornel Wilczek. He is an Australian award winning screen composer and music producer. He is well-known for his compositions of lush, acoustic sources with home-made electronics.

His feature film work includes Cut Snake, These Final Hours, The Mule and Academy Award winner, Eva Orner’s Chasing Asylum. His TV work includes Glitch, Offspring and the international award winning children’s show Nowhere Boys.

He has previously won the AACTA Award for best music score in television and Best Score at Festival International Du Film Fantastique de Gérardmer.

The information regarding the soundtrack of this series has not yet been released.

Perhaps the most disappointing visual is the character of Ameer himself. He is trimmed down to the trope of a father willing to do anything for his family. He’s been reduced to a cookie-cutter stereotype for the idea of a refugee, a demonstrable embodiment of anguish with barely a scrap more.

4. Grade

5. Final thoughts

Stateless has the performances to match its prestige drama ambitions. However, the series suffers from tonal mismatches and doesn’t bring the stories together in a satisfying enough way to make us want to watch more.

Ameer’s character definitely strikes as disappointing, bordering upsetting. His experience of being a refugee within a detention camp is whittled down to the most basic elements. Lacking access to lawyers or financial resources is a harsh reality, that hasn’t been explored fully.

History is written by the cis-gendered, heterosexual, able-bodied, fair-skinned, wealthy people who pick the stories of the oppressed, and twist it to their favor.

This series is no different.