I Am Danielle Is A Raw Portrait Of What It Feels Like To Be Betrayed

The uniqueness of the I Am anthology series is exactly what makes it so captivating. Created in conjunction with its lead actors for Channel 4, the first season was praised for its honest portrayal of female stories, discussing coercive control, financial instability and fertility. Now, two years later, Dominic Savage is returning with three stand-alone episodes, charting the lives of three new characters as they come up against complex individual issues.

The series' second instalment, I Am Danielle, aims to speak to the experiences of younger women, starring 27-year-old Black Panther actress Letitia Wright in the lead role. While the episode might initially appear to discuss the well-versed topic of millennial trust issues, I Am Danielle eventually takes a much sharper turn, reflecting on what it is to be betrayed by someone you love and the devastating effects that sexual assault can have on victims.

Set in and among London’s familiar landscape, the episode begins with Danielle navigating her daily life as a fashion photographer. Like any young person, she spends time discussing her trepidations around relationships with her housemate, pointing to a level of guardedness that may have come with hard experiences. While it's clear that she feels her cautious perspective on love keeps her out of harm's way, her walls eventually begin to come down when she meets a model named Michael.

Echoing a similar conversational style to that in Normal People, Danielle says very little while conveying a whole lot. Her coyness around Michael is an obvious sign of distrust in men, with the few comments she makes relating to her desire for a love rooted in authenticity. While their relationship is a slow burn filled with park walks and taking photographs, eventually her reservations lessen to the point where she’s ready to commit. However, before she makes things official, she makes Michael promise her one thing: that he will never hurt her. 

His agreement feels fairly genuine, but it becomes clear that his definition of avoiding hurtful actions means purposely hiding hurtful information. It’s this messy, deceitful action that becomes the main crux of the episode, leaving Danielle to reckon with the information she’s presented with and the person standing in front of her. Putting an age-old concept in a new context, the episode explores the notion of broken trust and the difficulties humans have with coming to terms with their partner's mistakes.

With this being said, its most central theme explores the idea of having to rebuild after trauma. While it features two different, interlinking female stories, the episode bases itself around what happens when people’s worst nightmares become a sobering reality. While its main focus remains on Danielle's experiences throughout its hour-long running time, the episode also discusses the limitations of redemption and forgiveness from different perspectives, charting how one action can affect a multitude of people.

Without giving any clear cut answers, the episode poses questions about what happens to ‘bad people’ long after an action is committed and whether destructive actions can ever be truly atoned for. In a world where many see the criminal justice system as a barometer for right and wrong, I Am Danielle proves the system's failings when it comes to personal healing and ponders what is actually helpful for victims of sexual violence.

As an anthology series, I Am attempts to show an in-depth look at life through the eyes of one character, making the emotion-filled storylines all the more raw and accessible for viewers. While it might feel as though the story needed to continue in order to give more space for the other character’s experiences, I Am Danielle succeeds in providing the audience with an individualised view of what it means to be betrayed.

Made even more poignant by a moving piano score and honest performances from the whole cast, I Am Danielle is a quiet testament to what it feels like to be hurt by the person you trust the most. Exploring emotional baggage, hidden truths, morality, deceit, violence and more, I Am Danielle tackles a range of issues that affect people every day, making it a saddening, but important watch.