The Eddy

Authenticity is the key to this slow-burning but mesmerizing celebration of a world where life is a messy improvisation. ... The Eddy evokes an art-house sensibility with handheld and jittery camerawork that swirls to the music. But there's a gripping pulp aspect tot he narrative. [11 - 24 May 2020, p.7]

Don't miss this series, with its first-rate performances and impeccable filmmaking. It is rich and rewarding, even if it runs into the occasional plotting issue.

Shot in a gritty, handheld, vérité style (as apt for the French setting as the jazz performances framing its story), “The Eddy” finds a compelling rhythm in a melodic blend of genres — part family drama, part musical, part thriller — that, while occasionally plodding, crescendos with considerable emotional heft.

The series presents life as something that happens simultaneously with music—not just adjacent to it, but surrounded by it. Refreshingly, the camerawork tells the story without gimmicks—no slo-mo, no flashbacks, no dream sequences. The result is that time, too, seems to be composed of music, moving forward at the same tempo.

While it certainly contains moments of suspense and conflict, the eight-episode drama is more of a slow, mellow burn. ... Still canal waters are by no means a bad thing, though. ... If you can shut off your tendencies to nitpick and simply give yourself over to The Eddy, there is a lot of pleasure to be found in it. The music is lovely and performed with passion, and there are moments of profound joy.

As laborious as it may sound to spotlight various storylines, which always runs the risk of shortchanging others, The Eddy manages to keep you invested while Elliot anchors the story. That is helped by thoughtful performances especially by Holland and Bekhti as well as the rest of the cast, some of whom are actual musicians.

The first episode ends with the setting well established, thanks to a constantly moving camera that nervously picks up details of the cool, cluttered sets as it roams the faces in the club and pinpoints the weak spots of each character. ... Chazelle continues exploring the unsavory side of Paris in high cinematic style in the second episode, which is devoted to Julie and her world. Stenberg creates a sophisticated New Yorker who keeps a guarded distance from her father, but is still curious about his life and attracted to the creative atmosphere around him.

he overarching narrative, involving the Parisian underworld of drugs and guns and how it infiltrates the supposed peaceful world of the club, gives the series some degree of stakes but honestly, more often than not, feels like a distraction. ... What is here, though, is held together by the remarkable strength of the international cast, all taking their cues from Holland.

Think of “The Eddy” like a trip to an actual jazz club. There are times, especially in the beginning, when you’ll want to go get a drink or take a bathroom break, but there are also incredible solos and moments when the whole band comes together to form something almost transcendent. Whether you focus on the highs or lows after the band has left the stage is up to you.

While The Eddy takes place in a Paris neighborhood you don’t see on postcards, its structure and themes will feel immediately familiar. ... Recognizing the beat doesn’t make The Eddy less moving, but it does keep an impeccably made series from being something more groundbreaking.

The four episodes I’ve seen have some narrative kinks to work out, to be sure, but the filmmaking is truly stunning at times, and it manages to capture an energy and a beauty that more polished series can only dream of.