Perhaps to make up for his frequent absences, Johannes gives his wife the ultimate in conspicuous consumption for that time: a cabinet house, aka a dollhouse, that is a replica of their own nine-room home, which Nella starts to furnish, having nothing else to do with her time while Johannes is off doing business. The care given to the action in the Brandts’ house mirrors the attention lavished on Nella’s extravagant bridal gift. Every moment feels deliberately crafted for the maximum dramatic effect, whether it’s the balance of characters in the foreground and background, having the camera glide through multiple doorways, or seamlessly shifting from the present time to flashback in one camera motion in order to connect the drift of Nella’s thoughts. Director Guillem Morales and cinematographer Gavin Finney appear to pay tribute to Vermeer, the Dutch painter who elevated the domestic space in his use of rich pigments and the striking depiction of light and shadow. Beyond Nella’s attention-grabbing garb courtesy of costume designer Joana Eatwell, “The Miniaturist” makes every scene and every frame count, especially in the Brandt home. This humor adds to the delight of the first two installments that also dazzle with visual wonders.Īnd wondrous it is. As Marin, she delivers passive-aggressive, “Mean Girls”-worthy lines that should be taken for the Dutch Golden Age bitchiness that it is. The series is too aware of its political and socially conscious themes to be an overt laugh-fest, but there’s plenty of wordplay to tickle the brain, and Garai is gleefully grim and forbidding. The ridiculousness of that line is representative of how “The Miniaturist” can be low-key hilarious.

“The Miniaturist” The Forge/BBC/ Laurence Cendrowi The latter, in fact, appears to be the main goal because he spares no expense in enrobing her in the most sumptuous fabrics and gowns, putting her on display for a society that is caught up in appearances. On the surface, it appears to be the usual sort of marriage contract: She and her family benefit from his wealth and status, while he receives a youthful bride to help continue the Brandt line and look pretty while doing it. Set in the 17th century, “The Miniaturist” follows Petronella “Nella” Oortman (“The Witch” and “Split” star Anya Taylor-Joy), a wide-eyed 18-year-old from Assendelft, who has traveled to Amsterdam to join the household of her new husband, Johannes Brandt (Alex Hassell). “ The Miniaturist,” based on Jessie Burton’s novel of the same name, is PBS’ three-part adaptation that satisfies the “Masterpiece” aesthete’s hunger for beautiful visuals, lavish costuming, and mesmerizing performances.

Two weeks after HBO’s Southern gothic thriller “Sharp Objects” revealed its twisted ending, another drama featuring a dollhouse is opening its doors to welcome viewers into a meticulously crafted world.

The miniaturist book summary