LONDON: In the UK, “Joan” is already being touted as one of the best shows of autumn 2024, with early reviews lauding its faithfully recreated Eighties’ setting, stellar soundtrack, and that ‘based on a real person’ kudos that resonates so well with audiences. And, thanks to a star turn from leading lady Sophie Turner, “Joan” could very well have the ingredients to win over viewers around the world too. Because while some of the settings, parlance and stylings do feel very UK-centric, Turner (back on screens for the first time since 2022) is captivating here, turning in a performance as housewife-turned-jewel-thief-turned-crime-boss Joan Hannington that’s loaded with equal parts grit and glamor.
Forced to leave her abusive partner when he falls foul of some local gangsters, Joan can’t seem to catch a break, beset on all sides by men who objectify and underestimate her, or both. She takes a job at a jewelry store working for kindly boss Bernard, only to learn that he, like most of the men in “Joan,” is a slimy creep too. So Joan, desperate to earn enough money to start a new life with her daughter, pockets a handful of diamonds and flees. She meets local antiques dealer (and trader in stolen goods) Boisie, and the two dare to daydream of a world where they can simply take what they want.
Mother Joan is all worry and anxiety, but jewel thief Joan is Eighties’ glamor personified — and Turner, championing the strong shoulder pads and power dressing of the era, drags her character from timid victim to powerful crime boss in short order. As Boisie, Frank Dillane is the equal of his co-star, the chemistry between the two crackling as they tentatively begin to trust one another. If there’s one criticism of “Joan,” it’s that the titular antihero seems to lurch alarmingly from fiery confidence to lovestruck dependence and back again, but with a pair of leads this good, that’s a niggle that can be easily forgiven.
