A miniseries Under the Bridge about Reena Virk who was brutally bullied to death near Victoria British Columbia in 1997 is now streaming on Disney Plus after premiering Hulu in US in April.
Vritika Gupta plays a brilliant Reena Virk, a young South Asian teenager who was trying to fit to a judgemental society dealing racism, sexism and stereo types of body image that did not meet acceptable standards. Her father Manjit (Ezra Farouke Khan) and her mother Suman (an outstanding Archie Panjabi) are also trying to fit into this small town that is not welcoming to a racialized family.
Lily Gladstone who won a Golden Globe award for best actress for Killers of the Flower Moon and also nominated for Oscar for the same role plays a Cam Bentland who plays local cop leading the murder investigation. Her indigenous identity sexual orientation play an important role in this fictionalized version of the Reena’s killing based on a book written by Rebecca Godrey who also wrote the screenplay.
This 8-hour miniseries explores the many facets of issues at play during this gruesome killing. Directors Geeta Vasant Patel, Kevin Phillips have a great job of crafting this very difficult tale. The cast is a amazing roaster of internationally acclaimed and up and coming actors.
The series is getting critical acclaim. According to Whip Media‘s TV Time, Under the Bridge was the ninth most streamed original television series across all platforms in the United States during the week of April 21, and the seventh during the week of April 28, 2024. The streaming aggregator Just Watch reported the show was the fourth most streamed television series across all platforms in the U States between April 22-28, 2024.