At first the camera work and editing can seem underwhelming. It felt strangely 'distanced', or observing, compared to what one has come to expect from today's fiction. But, given time, the show grew on me with its intriguing, though slightly confusing story line, and its interesting characters. But it will not be everyones cup of tea. Not all hints, plot elements and dialogue seem to go somewhere. Emphasis on characters change unexpectedly, as do perspectives and general direction. The style of the series feels a bit like observing events around you in real life where things are not easily interpreted, but none the less interesting enough for you to keep looking. For me, this style gave the show a touch of realism that made it enjoyable, even refreshing. Like its titular object, the series is a mosaic of sorts with odd fragments beginning to come together as you watch the story unfold.
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neener370724 January 2018So far I am sadly not impressed, as the trailer made it seem really good. About the murder of a celebrated children's book writer and the subsequent investigation and fallout for the people that surrounded her. But this first episode did not intrigue me and I don't really feel like watching the rest of the series, like I so often do with the majority of HBO shows. Something about this first episode just really seemed underwhelming, with way too much seemingly meaningless conversations. It didn't grab my attention by the throat like Westworld, Game of Thrones, and many others, so I must sadly say I am disappointing.
I had no problem with the acting, most every actor did a fine job and I have no real issues. But the writing was just boring, to me at least. I found myself uninterested in what the characters had to say and often wanted the conversation to end. The cinematography is very average and the visuals were pretty bland, shocking coming from HBO. With so many other shows coming to HBO soon I don't feel like this is a slap in the face, but I will most likely not be watching this whole series.
Sorry, can't recommend it. -
mcpalmer24 March 2021Sharon Stone delivers a fine performance as does the rest of the cast.
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kingbestark29 January 2018I kept watching over and over and kept getting more confused. what was that symbol that petra kept seeing? a gir's tat, a decal on a car fender, the editing seems to be a huge problem. at first sharon stone was a celebrated member of the community and towards the end everyone was speaking about her like she was a joke. why did she tell that dirty joke when he brought his girlfriend over for a visit, made no sense, then she as a cougar offers him a place in lieu of handyman work, then she demands $ months later, and the constant dropping of f bombs at thanksgiving dinner in front of his parents (who never had a line by the way).
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jputerba28 January 2018A twisty solid drama from HBO. I enjoyed the acting especially and noticed how Soderbergh's strong touch really helped elevate this show.
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hayjohn26 April 2019This show had great potential with each episode getting better, but the ending absolutely stank!
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Headturner11 December 2020I fell asleep during the last episode but may not finish as the reviews say it was horrible( tho I probably will). it's ok. It's like the acting is really bad in some scenes. I don't know if it's due to the editing or directing. It comes of as unscripted but not. Like stone's argument ( with forgot his name) on new years in the hall. It's like she doesn't know what to say or believe it. The long pauses and the pan camera shots that seem to last 5 years. Other than those parts it's ok. I don't know if this is a true story but I think I have what really happened figured out by the first episode. The only character I really like in this is the cop searching for the truth the sister's annoying. All and all an ok watch.
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This series had my attention right away. The acting was solid. Good character development. Every scene and every word spoken was significant and seemed to contain clues. I found myself rewinding scenes and rewatching episodes to make certain that nothing was missed. Every character seemed to be a suspect. A great "who done it". I ate it all up, but then at the very end someone punch me in the gut and I threw it all back up. What a waste of a good meal. I was left unfulfilled, too many unanswered questions and loose ends. I feel as if I missed a couple of episodes. -STOP READING HERE IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS- What was the significance of the bumper sticker and tattoo with the four arrows? I can guess but that isn't supposed to be how it works, is it? And why would anyone tattoo that on their hand? Why was there a fine piece of art hanging in a run down trailer? Who the heck was Cameron and why didn't we ever get to meet him? Why did they include the scene with Laura and (I'm guessing) her boss? Was it a clumsy attempt to make us think that she could be a suspect, too? Why did Eric throw his father under the bus and what did his mother have to do with it? I want to know. Are we supposed to believe that Alan went from an intimidating, hulking ogre to a kind hearted grandpa figure who suddenly starts helping Petra with her investigation after he ferociously tried to stop it? Are we to further believe that Alan isn't worried about retaliation? Are we supposed to be okay with the idea that Petra fights for the truth and succeeds in clearing her brother's name (the same brother who has a criminal past, that she turned in and had little respect for), but in doing so she ends up getting the wrong man to confess (a good honest man that she knew was innocent) and then that's when she stops fighting for justice... excuse me?!! Did Joel ever get a trial? What was his fate? Where WAS Joel between 9:46 and 11-something o'clock? And what about Nate!!? We were rooting for him, we wanted to see him get redemption and we never even saw him in the finale. And the very last scene?! What are we supposed to take away from that?! Are we now to believe that Petra is suddenly admiring the artwork of children, particularly a child's portrait of a smiling Olivia? Is Petra now taking inspiration from Olivia?! Petra never liked or appreciated Olivia as an artist or as a person and we were were okay with that. Olivia was no "hero" in this story. She was shallow and unlikable. She was the complete opposite of Petra. She was an accidental author, who published a children's book after having a dream. She appreciated the artwork of children and had a gallery dedicated to their art. She didn't have to work hard doing any of it and it made her a wealthy woman. Then there's Petra who repairs fine works of art and that takes talent and discipline. She's also an unpublished writer trying to write a book on the science behind art appreciation which takes considerable skill and knowledge. I'm left confused. Is this a story about who killed Olivia or is this a story about Petra finding herself through Olivia's inspiration? What ever the case, it doesn't matter because none of it works.
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chrismonkee16 July 2018Ignore these negative reviews. It is as if they are unaware of Soderberg's previous work, his style, his penchant for risk taking.
This is great. Settle in, pour yourself a glass, turn off your phone and take your time watching this. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Great stuff indeed. -
chilipeppers-178795 February 2018This gives away some of the story if you haven't seen it.
Good acting. Slow at the beginning until the murder takes place. The answer to the murder....it shows you possible scenarios but doesn't tell you definitively did it. Also, MOSAIC....it shows an art store at the end of the series by this name, tied to the murder victim...but doesn't really make the connection as to why the series had this as a title. -
dlbroox4 February 2018I actually registered on IMDb just to write a review for this series. It starts out looking as if it has potential to be a great who dunnit and ends with more questions than answers.
I had trouble keeping track of all the characters because there are so many that you never see. Who the hell is Cameron anyway? And in the last episode, the only interesting well developed character, the cop, isn't even in it. He just disappears.
Sharon Stone's character is so obnoxious you don't mind that someone kills her. And by the fourth episode I almost didn't care who really did it. But I had so much time invested in it already I figured let's see what happens.
Well nothing. Nothing happens. It's the most unsatisfying ending of any series I've watched. And the biggest red herring they throw at you is never resolved. What was the symbol they keep showing? They make a huge deal out of it and it has absolutely nothing to do with anything.
Please don't waste your time! It really is that bad. -
holahola8419 August 2019A crime drama about a missing woman and the detectives, family members, and friends involved. It sounds familiar, I know, and maybe the unique feature (watching from different perspectives) doesn't sound worthwhile, I understand. But this plays out like no other crime drama I have seen recently, perhaps ever, and it is the best show I've seen in a good while.
First off, it's Steven Soderbergh producing & directing. In addition to the many great movies under his belt, he also created a fantastic, unique 2-season TV show called The Knick. So the camera work, photography, lighting, and editing are all outstanding.
Second, Mosaic runs like a great 6-hour play, but utilizes true detective S1 style time jumps. Virtually the entire show is dialogue. This only works with great actors & a great script, and this show has both. The characters are as 3-dimensional as they can get.
I would say more, but hesitate as I don't want to even trends towards a spoiler. Mosaic stood out from everything else on TV these days, and if you appreciate 'good' shows, do not miss this one.
Note: This review was originally written by reddit user Mr_Ree416. But he spoke my mind. -
northernpine14 March 2021While some plot holes do exist...the film truly shines because of the performances of Sharon Stone and Paul Reubens!
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altereggo12327 February 2018I give this film a very poor grade not because it was bad but because it seems unfinished. It's like a home renovation in which the contractor walked off the job after doing most of it. The first five episodes were first rate, and it was well on its way to being a very satisfying whodunit. Then it fell off a cliff.
It had snappy dialogue, interesting subplots, a murder with a few suspects, and a relatable police detective who seemed intent on solving the mystery and unearthing local corruption. It had a layered feeling, like The Killing, in which the crime leads to suspects at higher and higher levels. But then... nothing.
Did the actor who played the police investigator quit the show? How else to explain how he vanished just when key revelations about the crime and local corruption emerged? It's certainly not consistent with his character. Then there's the crusading amateur hellbent on exposing the real killer, who just goes home after solving the crime, knowing that an innocent man remains in prison. It's very abrupt and not consistent with her character. Several other characters behave illogically in the final episodes. The series needed a different ending and/or maybe one more episode to allow the characters to finish what they started.
Boo. Hiss. -
blakedw4 October 2019Like so much of Soderbergh's work, over complexity gets in the way of the story, such as it is. Sharon Stone is great but there is not enough of her. The other acting is ordinary. If the ending is what really happened it is inexplicable that the police didn't get it at once.
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newhopes4 November 2022I gave this series 6 because I found the acting good, the story compelling and the nonlinear method of storytelling really engaging.
I was a super fan right up to the last episode. I won't give any spoilers, but, when the credits rolled on episode 6, there were so many loose ends, completely unanswered questions and unresolved ... okay, you get it.
Here's the thing: I don't like being force-fed plots or endings. I love thought provoking entertainment. This wasn't that; this was clearly an ad for the related app and/or a plea for a second season. The end was um... not there. This recent trend of intellectual babble (by those responsible for these non ending movies and series) about "making the viewers think" or "creating a stage for further conversations" are just excuses for lazy producers. Life is full of endless mysteries and ambiguity; I don't need more. "I want to spend 6 hours watching a series that leaves me with big fat question marks for eyeballs," said no one ever-or at least not me. -
Luke222229 January 2018From the beginning, it seemed intriguing. I loved how series started exploring life of Olivia before her death, I loved that we found out a lot of things about her life. However, it was too slow and there might have been many unnecessary moments. As the story progresses after Olivia's death, show becomes better. I liked Petra dynamics. However, most suspects were offscreen, they were mentioned but not shown. Not sure how to feel about that. It became a lot better than the beginning at the end but somehow the writers managed to mess improvement up. The ending was unrealistic. First, Joel's confession. Sure, he had some problems in past but his memories came OUT OF NOWHERE. Even if he didn't remember what he was doing/where he was at the time Olivia was murdered, it made 0 sense. And the second thing that didn't make sense. Petra. She was honestly my favorite character. She was fighting to prove her brother's innocence so hard, and all of sudden she's OK with Joel going to jail after his confession even though she knows he is innocent. It just doesn't make sense. Suddenly she doesn't care anymore. I understand Joel is no one for her but I don't buy that after all that, she couldn't care less. Alan suddenly became very supportive of Petra. That didn't make much sense either. There were many unnecessary moments that just confused me as a viewer. We never saw what happened to Joel, or even Eric (I think he should have appeared in the finale, even for a minute maybe), also that lead detective. I disliked last scene because it was out of context. Did Petra get inspired with Olivia's work all of sudden? Taking consideration things mentioned above, it was an average show, boring at times. Peaked in 3-5 episodes but as I said above, finale completely destroyed improvement after first two episodes. The worst thing for me is the UNREALISTIC ending, which made me regret watching the show.
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pekka-komu19 February 2018I almost did not watch Mosaic after reading the comments here and finding a quite poor review by numbers.
However, Mosaic managed to suprise me postively - Soderbergh's superb directing style with great dogma experiments and complex story drive you into a deep murder mystery. There is something from Lynch and Nolan but finally it is a real auteaur film (yes more a film than a tv serie) by Soderbergh. It is also more than a murder mystery as one can figure out from the great ending. -
coopersi-696577 February 2018We binge watched this and were somewhat intrigued until the final episode, at which time we felt completely ripped off. We had just wasted 6 hours.
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sianstanley4 February 2020This is an interesting piece of work, it is more European than American in its structure and pace. It is not so much a who did it as an interesting journey into a world of which I have never experienced. So don't binge watch, savour the characters, admire, dislike, understand their motives and you will see this for what it is- a study in human behaviour.
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This series starts well with a great performance of Sharon stone ..unfortunately the plot gets lost somewhere around episodes 4 and 5 and the last episode is just so bad that it spoils the whole series. Not worth it sorry.
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lparker4825 January 2018It was actually different and interesting at first although slow. As the story progressed however, it just got more monotone and strange. The ending was just Bad and just left a bad taste. Waste of time
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Vivkon25 September 2018For "Mosaic" viewers, reading Agatha Christie should be a prerequisite. For everyone who savors slow moving plots this TV series will be a tremendous pleasure. It offers a truly intellectual excitement. Only in the last episodes will viewers discover the motives of every character involved in the investigation of the murder of Oliva Lake (Sharon Stone). Almost every character has a reason to kill her, but only the art expert Petra Neill (Jennifer Ferrin) has the reason and sufficient skills to discover the truth. The fantastic script plays with the viewer's mind, making plausible the motivation for each suspect. Every episode suggests at least one "innocent" person is guilty. However, the truth is complicated and different from the results of official investigations. Official outcomes are only small pieces in the mosaic of a larger truth. And this is sad, because the real truth is dangerous and costly. One can find elements of this show in his/her own life to understand the truth is an expensive product.
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maddie-348031 April 2020Do not even waste your time with this one. Had a promising beginning and terrible ending. This shows ending was so bad that I honestly couldn't even tell you what happened.
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sywine3 February 2018This was a huge surprise; I had started watching inattentively, letting three recorded episodes play while I made party preparations. Somewhere along the line it occurred to me I should start over and pay attention. The structure is clever, which you won't notice until you're 2/3 of the way through, and you won't realize how incredible the acting is until you figure things out a bit. Devin Ratray's performance, initially very understated, BLEW MY MIND. The ensemble acting crackles and snaps. And the story just works. The subject material, about a rich cougar and the inevitable hang-abouts, could put people off but I know the sea- and ski crowd and this is an exceedingly accurate portrayal.