There are a lot of reasons why Netflix's The Queen's Gambit won* so many people over this fall. Based on a novel, the series tells the story of a young woman in the 60s and 70s who rises through the ranks of chess stardom, even as she drinks and pop pills and descends into her loneliness.
The video above breaks down one the show's most standout qualities: its stunning cinematography, specifically, the color choices woven throughout the story. It also gives a decent intro/history of color theory. Worth a watch whether you've watched the show yet or not!
*There are also plenty of valid criticisms about the weirdness of doing a period drama about a fictional woman who is an alcoholic** chessmaster in the 60s and 70s, in a world that's somehow also devoid of sexism and racism***; but that's also one of the show's weirdly refreshing qualities, depending on who you ask.
**I enjoyed the hell out of this show, more for its styled storytelling than anything else. But, to me, the addiction aspect felt more like surface-level set dressing than an actual internal character struggle. That being said: as someone with ADHD, I found this show to be a surprisingly (if unintentionally) accurate portrayal of a character with ADHD.
***I personally found the use of the "Magical Negro" trope—and the decision to make the character call out the trope while it's happening—to be, erm, an odd choice, to say the least.
