When it comes to telling stories, Alma Har’el says that the most interesting mysteries are those within her characters. The writer, director, and showrunner explores this idea in depth in her latest project, the Apple TV+ series Lady in the Lake. The show stars Natalie Portman as a housewife turned reporter who becomes obsessed with two murders and is based on the 2019 Laura Lippman novel of the same name. Har’el’s previous directorial works include Shia LeBeouf’s semi-autobiographical 2019 feature Honey Boy and the 2011 documentary Bombay Beach.
Har’el joins The Treatment to discuss changing and building on the book for the Apple TV+ series. She reveals how the rhythms of music informed the editing of the show, and she explains why she thinks the show has “one foot in the grave and one on a banana peel.”