Tiny Pretty Things
I’m watching the new Netflix ballet mystery, Tiny Pretty Things. It’s intriguing, and (in-progress) interesting to compare with the flawed but fascinating Flesh And Bone. The subject of Flesh And Bone is art — specifically narrative art. Its flaw, in my view, was a tendency to overstuff every moment with wild and intersecting plot lines, and all the subsidiary plot lines tend to obscure the central stories. In the end, we need to watch our high-flying future prima and poor homeless Romeo; the strip joints and Serbian sex slaves keep things moving but they get in the way.
Tiny Pretty Things is a school story, but since it opens with a dormitory murder it doesn’t need quite as much propulsive force. There’s a lot going on, but perhaps not so much distraction. Then again, I sense less ambition. Perhaps I’m wrong.