Baby Reindeer on Netflix is a film about a man called Donny Dunn and a stalker and how the stalker turns his life upside down. The film stars writer and performer Richard Gadd playing the role of Donny Dunn whose act of kindness towards a woman puts him into a situation with the stalker Martha. His life is perpetually affected by Martha’s presence and it impacts his personal and professional life. Ever since the film’s trailer came out, people have wondered about the truth behind these events. Let us find out if Baby Reindeer is based on a true story.
Is Baby Reindeer based on a true story?
Yes, Baby Reindeer is a semi-autobiographical account of the events from Richard Gadd’s life. The series narrates the time in his life when he was stalked by a girl, fictionally called Martha in Baby Reindeer. The series is a dark comedy and tells a tale that isn’t just from the perspective of generating sympathy for the victim Donny but also showcases the mistakes made by Richard during the incident.
Baby Reindeer was first made into a play. A solo act performed by Gadd took the audience through the events and what Gadd went through during the entire stalking episode. The stalker was portrayed through voice and multimedia tools like screenshots and emails. In an interview, given by Gadd before a performance, he addresses how he does not shy away from his mistakes in the play and how he initially loved the attention.
Baby Reindeer is a series so it is a little different from the play, so we have a character playing Martha, the stalker, and her presence is a beautiful addition to the story. We call it ‘beautiful’ because of the role she plays in the life of Donny and how she makes his life more miserable so he has a deeper journey to get into.
Suppose you look at Martha’s character from her perspective. In that case, it represents the lonely times we live in and how even a small act of kindness in an unforgiving world is a rarity and can spiral one into such a loop of craving for more moments of kindness.
Donny goes through an entire spectrum of emotions when he finally realizes where he went wrong and how it affected his family and life. The series is a dark but comic take on modern-day life. Did you find it interesting? Let us know in your comments.
Also Read: Filming locations of Baby Reindeer