Every parent’s nightmare is for their child to be unwell, in danger, or dying, and to be unable to do anything about it. It’s a heartbreaking situation, and it’s so emotionally heavy that it threatens to tear families, sometimes whole communities, apart. In Best Interests, the new limited series written by Enola Holmes scribe Jack Thorne, a daughter’s medical downturn puts her family in an impossible spot that spirals into a larger struggle while their cohesion is torn apart. It’s a nightmare of a situation, and in four short episodes, the series pulls ample drama out of its heavy premise thanks to a smart script and exceptional performances from Sharon Horgan, Michael Sheen, and Alison Oliver.
What Is ‘Best Interests’ About?

Nicci (Sharon Horgan) and Andrew (Michael Sheen) receive the worst news that parents can get when their daughter Marnie (Niamh Moriarty) is diagnosed with a rare and deadly form of muscular dystrophy. When she falls into a coma and the hospital decides to terminate life support, it plunges the family into the most unenviable crisis possible. While Andrew prepares to relent to the hospital’s perspective, Nicci undertakes a legal fight, and their conflict has major repercussions for the family and all involved. Also caught in the crossfire is Katie (Alison Oliver of Saltburn fame), an older sister who struggles both with this terrible situation and with always being relegated to the back burner.
‘Best Interests’ Will Break Your Heart From Minute One

Image via Acorn TV

Four episodes is a relatively small amount of time to develop an engaging drama, but Best Interests doesn’t waste a minute breaking the audience’s hearts. The stakes are established from Episode 1: a forthcoming legal battle, a family that loves each other, a sweetheart of a daughter who falls ill, and a hospital that rules too quickly that they don’t want to fight for her any longer. It’s a well-written series, with layered and complex characters whose choices propel a narrative that’s emotionally weighty but breezy in pace. The occasional time jump does aid the development of a strong pace overall, though in individual moments a more purely chronological exhibition of Marnie’s development might have been a better choice.
Moriarty is a relative newcomer but a great cast for Marnie, giving the role considerable warmth and optimism despite the harrowing situation. Beyond the simple fact of ‘she’s my daughter,’ Moriarty’s performance intuitively grounds why everyone’s so devastated when her health takes a downturn. Michael Sheen gives a heartbreaking turn as a despairing father who tries to keep the family together without the boldness to do it. He’s terrifyingly alone, and it’s devastating. Alison Oliver is excellent as the older sister facing a double-sided mourning, both for the withering away of Marnie and for her own lost childhood as Marnie’s crisis has pushed her milestones into the shadows. It’s such a hard set of emotions to exhibit, and she’s exceptional. Most centrally, Sharon Horgan is a standout, besieged by what she feels is an uncaring system and a hopeless husband and enraged in her feeling that she’s the only one fighting for Marnie. It’s a tremendous powerhouse of a performance.
‘Best Interests’ Is an Elegant Showcase for an Exceptional Cast

At its core, Best Interests is a complex tale of a family forced to navigate how to love and care for a daughter whose medical condition has arguably turned hopeless, whether Nicci will believe it or not. In a relatively short number of episodes, the characters voice debates about cowardice, exhibit the diversity of forms love might take in these situations, and crush hearts over how to deal with an impossible situation. The journey might be better without the chronological slips, or with a few additional episodes to tease out details about this family’s history, webs of relationships, or to better set up the before times. Still, it’s a great showcase of talent for the series’ central cast.
Best Interests manages to pack a lifetime of heartbreak into four devastating episodes. It’s a powerful but heavy watch, anchored by talented performers giving strong, dialed-in performances. Horgan and Sheen breathe life into complex characters at odds over the hardest choice a parent could ever be forced to make, and both turn in elegant representations of the emotional desolation of the situation, while Thorne’s scripts adeptly translate the situation into a compact tale. There are some structural issues, and a longer runtime would allow the emotional journey to feel more balanced and less like struggling to stay afloat in a rising pool of tears for four hours, but overall, it’s a stunning drama and a great exhibition of top-tier acting talent.
Best Interests premieres February 17 on Acorn TV.

Best Interests

Best Interests follows a family’s devastating crisis, with heavy drama that lands thanks to a wildly talented cast and a strong script.

Release Date

2023 – 2022

Network

BBC One

Directors

Michael Keillor

Writers

Jack Thorne

Pros & Cons

Sharon Horgan and Michael Sheen give devastating performances as parents besieged by an unimaginable choice.
Jack Thorne’s script is layered, complex, and thought-provoking, offering ample opportunities for the cast.
The central dramatic tension is well-developed, showcasing the tension between the parents’ divergent perspectives.

A few structural changes and added narrative space might allow for a stronger emotional connection to the characters.
Given the extent to which it takes place in bleak situations and settings, the viewing experience would be elevated with greater artistry in the cinematography.