Marilyn Manson: Unmasked; An t-Eilean

“Marilyn Manson: Unmasked is a meticulously assembled three-part account of the shock-rock musician’s career and what was allegedly happening behind the scenes. Beyond setting out the timelines and testimonies that must form the spine of this kind of documentary, it teases out the question of how able people should have been to distinguish between performative transgressions designed to shock (and build the notoriety upon which his career depended) and a man hiding terrible proclivities in plain sight.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“Despite the horrific nature of the claims, they also come with a feeling that Channel 4 lawyers probably had quite a say in the editing suite. What this documentary did offer was a gruesome insight into music fandom and the undeniable appeal of Manson’s gimmicky goth play on lonely young people, many from broken or (to them) simply just boring homes, who craved rebellion or a sense of belonging in the company of a man who later identified with Jesus Christ because, he suggested, they both went topless, drank wine and consorted with prostitutes.”
Ben Dowell, The Times

“It’s a three-hour slog with nothing worthwhile at the end of it – the civil suits are still dragging on, and Manson has not been charged with any crime. Every accusation is followed by a caption featuring a legal rebuttal or caveat.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“With legal battles still ongoing, Unmasked can’t provide definitive answers. But what it does is tell a depressingly familiar story of a man with too much power and too much protection allowed to exploit and abuse the women in his life. This isn’t just a documentary about Manson, but about the structures that allow men like him to do whatever they want – and apparently get away with it.”
Emily Baker, The i

“Sorcha Groundsell puts in a strong performance, and it is a stunning location for the story. When a setting looks this good, a few unlikely plot twists are easy to overlook. But this isn’t flawless, nor does it reinvent the wheel. It feels boxed in by its four-episode length. There is not much room for backstory when it comes to any of the characters, other than flashbacks to that fateful New Year’s Eve. The fact that it opts for a more emotional register loosens the tension when it would benefit from ramping it up. Its language is the most arresting thing about it, then, but it remains a good, solid crime drama, albeit one that doesn’t upend the genre.”
Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian

“The characters sometimes break into English, so you will hear a stream of Gaelic punctuated by a ‘for f–k’s sake!’ In truth, £1 million per episode is a middling budget for drama these days, and this is a middling crime-serial lumbered with an average plot devoid of thrills. All the usual elements are present and correct: a plucky heroine who solves the crime when her more experienced colleagues can’t; a scene in which someone stares at a suspect board; a lesbian kiss. We’ve seen it all before. The language is the only break from the norm.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph