This is an early review of Amazon’s new scripted drama Homecoming out of the Toronto International Film Festival. The series premieres November 2 on Amazon Prime Video.
At first glance, Homecoming, Amazon Prime Video’s newest series based on a popular podcast of the same name (created by Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg, who adapt their story for the screen here), may seem familiar to fans of Mr. Robot, which redefined the way one frames a scene for traditional television. Yet executive producer/director Sam Esmail not only knows how to make a mystery thriller look good, he knows exactly how to keep you on your toes and demanding more of the story.
Here, Esmail returns to confuse and intrigue audiences with another conspiracy thriller, this time leaning heavily into noir and Hitchcock to tell the story of Homecoming. We follow Heidi Bergman (Julia Roberts), a caseworker in a shady military reintegration facility that sells itself as a help center which prepares veterans for their return to civilian life. Bergman seems to be genuinely interested in helping her patients, instead of just using them as lab rats that can be mined for data on their trauma. She is especially interested in newcomer Walter Cruz (Stephan James), a soldier who’s on the verge of a breakdown as his compatriots’ paranoia starts getting to him, and the secrets of the eerie help center may threaten their very lives.
Source: IGN.com Julia Roberts' Homecoming Could Be Amazon's Best Show Yet