With a story ripped from the headlines (not to mention adapted from a bestselling book), an all-star cast, and two of Australia’s best directors calling the shots, The Clearing has all the makings of a streaming hit. You can find out for yourself, because it’s now streaming on Disney+.
Based on the 2020 novel In The Clearing by J.P. Pomare and, like that book, drawing inspiration from the notorious cult The Family that operated in Victoria until Police raided their headquarters in the late ‘80s, the eight-part series stars Teresa Palmer (Ride Like a Girl) as Freya, a young single mother who starts to dig into the disappearance of a local girl. The kidnapping reminds her of her own past when, known as Amy (and played by Julia Savage), she was a member of a fringe religious group, the Kindred, led by the manipulative Adrienne Beaufort (Miranda Otto). Could Adrienne be responsible?
Created by Elise McCredie and Matt Cameron, The Clearing boasts an impressive pedigree on both sides of the camera, with Gracie Otto (Seriously Red) and Jeffrey Walker (Ali’s Wedding) directing with cool, steely restraint, and a cast that includes Guy Pearce and Kate Mulvaney as two of Adrienne’s most trusted acolytes, plus support from Julia Savage, Hazem Shammas, Mark Coles-Smith, Claudia Carvan, Gary Sweet, and Xavier Samuel.
Viewers might be reminded of Yellowjackets by the way The Clearing follows the same character in two different time periods, while the creepy kids in The Kindred vibe more than a little Village of the Damned with their identical clothes and dyed-blonde hair. Sadly, those details are drawn from the real-world Family. The Clearing might be fiction, but it’s the way actual crimes and events are woven into the narrative fabric that makes this one a cut above the usual crime drama.
