Good American Family review – the strange case of Natalia Grace

Ellen Pompeo plays a mother disturbed by her adopted daughter in a mostly entertaining limited series based on the tabloid saga

There remains unending interest in the bizarre story of Natalia Grace, the Ukrainian girl adopted by an American family who then claimed she was actually an adult. The saga starts in 2010 but a similar tale had already been told in 2009’s Orphan, a horror film hinged on a similar twist, itself inspired by the real case of the Estonian impostor Barbora Skrlová. It’s the ghoulish stuff of nightmare, shocking enough to turn Orphan into an unlikely franchise (the second was released in 2022, the third now in the works) and Grace into a tabloid sensation and, easily vilified, hate figure.

But the lurid People.com headlines only told half of the story or barely a third as it turns out, an unfolding series of revelations soon starting to show that things were not what they appeared to be. After a popular, and even more revelatory, docuseries, we now have the inevitable narrative version – the long-read-to-documentary-to-limited-series pipeline remaining robust – but how to tell a story when no one involved is willing to agree on what actually happened? In Hulu’s efficiently watchable eight-parter Good American Family, The Affair and Sunny writer Katie Robbins decides upon a structure that allows for competing perspectives and a shifting timeline.

Topics

For Ellen Pompeo and Mark Duplass, trust was central to 'Good American Family'

Ellen Pompeo and Mark Duplass, the stars of 'Good American Family,' explain why they took a chance on Hulu's drama about Natalia Grace.
Los Angeles Times - 17h
Ellen Pompeo says her 'financial security' is the best thing to come from 'Grey's Anatomy': 'I'm very grateful for that'

Pompeo's role as Meredith Grey made her the highest-paid actress on television.
CNBC - Mar. 9
American who snatched a baby wombat from its mother leaves Australia

An American influencer has left Australia after the government announced it was reviewing her visa over a video she posted of her snatching a baby wombat from its mother
ABC News - 5d
Kamay review – searing story of Afghan Hazara family’s painful quest for justice

A daughter’s death is the catalyst for a difficult journey to Kabul, chronicled in this claustrophobic documentary about the void left by trauma. Living in the remote, mountainous Daikundi province ...
The Guardian - Mar. 10
In the subtly powerful 'On Becoming a Guinea Fowl,' stubborn wrongs linger during a funeral

The second feature of writer-director Rungano Nyoni ("I Am Not a Witch") shows her developing strongly with a story graced by buried trauma and female power.
Los Angeles Times - Mar. 7
My Mother Is Punishing Me for Not Coming Out to Her Sooner. Help!

A young reader variously subjected to cruel words and the silent treatment is reaching the end of her rope with her mother, who has portrayed her daughter’s coming out as deceit.
The New York Times - Mar. 12
Mother of teenage bride in South Sudan comes out of hiding to be with pregnant daughter

Athiak Dau Riak was traditionally married for a record bride price last year, despite her mother’s insistence that she was only 14, which led to threats of reprisals. The mother of an alleged child ...
The Guardian - Mar. 11
Pelicot’s Daughter Pursues Conviction That He Raped Her, Too

Her mother, Gisèle, was at the center of a trial that gripped France and made her a feminist icon. But it left Caroline Darian with her own pains and suspicions unanswered.
The New York Times - 1d
Murdered girl's mum says dad would 'never harm' her

Simon Vickers was jailed for murdering his daughter, but her mother insists it was an accident.
BBC News - Mar. 13

More from The Guardian

Trump and Zelenskyy share ‘frank’ but ‘very good’ call as Ukraine accepts partial ceasefire

Ukraine’s president says his country is ready to implement pause in strikes on energy and infrastructure. Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a “very good telephone call” on Wednesday, ...
The Guardian - 7h
Greenpeace must pay at least $660m over Dakota pipeline protests, says jury

Non-profit, which will appeal decision, says lawsuits like this are aimed at ‘destroying the right to peaceful protest’. A jury in North Dakota has decided that the environmental group ...
The Guardian - 5h
Israel launches ‘limited ground operation’ to retake Netzarim corridor in Gaza

UN calls for investigation after staff member among 20 people reportedly killed in renewed airstrikes. Israeli forces have launched a “limited ground operation” to retake the Netzarim corridor, a ...
The Guardian - 8h
Dark energy: mysterious cosmic force appears to be weakening, say scientists

Findings could open up possibility the universe will end in a reverse big bang or ‘big crunch’, say cosmologists. Explainer: Is dark energy destined to dominate the universe? Dark energy, the ...
The Guardian - 5h
Covid ‘benevolence bump’ endures as acts of kindness 10% higher than before 2020

World Happiness Report 2024 finds volunteering more frequent in most regions as Finland tops chart again and Costa Rica and Mexico enter top 10. The world experienced a “benevolence bump” of ...
The Guardian - 3h

Good American Family review – the strange case of Natalia Grace

Topics

Related

For Ellen Pompeo and Mark Duplass, trust was central to 'Good American Family'

Ellen Pompeo says her 'financial security' is the best thing to come from 'Grey's Anatomy': 'I'm very grateful for that'

American who snatched a baby wombat from its mother leaves Australia

Kamay review – searing story of Afghan Hazara family’s painful quest for justice

In the subtly powerful 'On Becoming a Guinea Fowl,' stubborn wrongs linger during a funeral

My Mother Is Punishing Me for Not Coming Out to Her Sooner. Help!

Mother of teenage bride in South Sudan comes out of hiding to be with pregnant daughter

Pelicot’s Daughter Pursues Conviction That He Raped Her, Too

Murdered girl's mum says dad would 'never harm' her

More from The Guardian

Trump and Zelenskyy share ‘frank’ but ‘very good’ call as Ukraine accepts partial ceasefire

Greenpeace must pay at least $660m over Dakota pipeline protests, says jury

Israel launches ‘limited ground operation’ to retake Netzarim corridor in Gaza

Dark energy: mysterious cosmic force appears to be weakening, say scientists

Covid ‘benevolence bump’ endures as acts of kindness 10% higher than before 2020

More in World

Trump Administration Ends Tracking of Kidnapped Ukrainian Children in Russia

SoftBank expands AI portfolio with $6.5bn Ampere deal

Chelsea complete £62.5m double deal for Quenda and Essugo from Sporting

UK employers ‘find it cheaper to replace sick staff than retain them’

UK cyber security watchdog warns on future risk of quantum computer hacking