In “The Girl from Plainville”, Elle Fanning shows a new, darker and more terrifying face. She plays Michelle Carter, a young woman convicted in 2017 of pushing her boyfriend to suicide. See it on StarzPlay.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT ?
Adapted from the article by Jesse Barron, published in Esquire, “The Girl from Plainville” and is inspired by the true story of Michelle Carter, this young woman who had sent macabre text messages pushing for suicide. The miniseries explores Carter’s relationship with Conrad Roy III as well as the events leading up to the latter’s death and, later, the young woman’s conviction for manslaughter.
The Girl from Plainville, a series created by Liz Hannah and Patrick Macmanus.
A REAL DRAMA
2017, Massachusetts, USA. A 17-year-old girl, blonde, with light eyes and thick eyebrows, walks into juvenile court. Her name ? Michelle Carter. She is accused of having pushed her boyfriend to suicide three years earlier, in 2014. Hundreds of text messages exchanged with the victim, Conrad Roy, 19, serve as evidence. At the end of the trial, she was sentenced to two and a half years in prison – including 15 months suspended.
Five years later, this drama becomes a series of eight episodes, The Girl from Plainville. As Michelle Carter, Elle Fanning performs her most complex, nuanced and chilling role. This reconstruction lands on the screens when true crimes have never been so popular. It is impossible not to have an ounce of opportunism there, of course, but despite everything, The Girl from Plainville spares us the voyeuristic and sensationalist fantasy in which many series of the genre rush.
Hulu/Starz Play Elle Fanning as Michelle Carter.
“With my partner Liz Hannahwe wanted to explore this story with sensitivityreveals co-creator Patrick Mcmanus to AlloCine. This tragedy can resonate with many people dealing with mental health issues. Problems that are still very stigmatized today.“From its first episode, the series delves into the inner demons of two teenagers, Conrad (Colton Ryan) and Michelle. One suffers from depression, the other tries desperately to exist in the eyes of young people his age.
To study the case in its every corner, the team had access to text messages and authentic testimonies. “Anything to show that Michelle was as troubled as Conrad”, adds the showrunner. These elements were also necessary for Elle Fanning, who built her interpretation from these documents.
THE WEIGHT OF WORDS
Although The Girl from Plainville never excuses the irreprehensible acts of Michelle Carter, the latter is never shown as a simple monster. “It’s too easy to put a black hat on her and call her mean. She was a sick young woman and that’s something Elle Fanning was able to dig intoprecise Patrick Macmanus. There are times when you want to hate her, and then there are times when you put yourself, even slightly, in her place..”
The other major theme of the series focuses on impunity in virtual exchanges. For the creator, it is obvious: “Mobile phones erect a wall where you think you are living in your own space when in reality you are exposing yourself and you don’t know the impact it will have on someone else.”
The Girl from Plainville is available on StarzPlay.