Lili Reinhart & Cooper Raiff Are Dysfunctionally Perfect In Mubi’s Heavy, Cathartic Show

In the very first scene of the new Mubi series Hal & Harperthe titular siblings (played by Cooper Raiff and Lili Reinhart, respectively) stare down at their father (Mark Ruffalo) as he lies unmoving and unresponsive on a bed. “Is he dead?” Hal asks. Honestly, it really seems like it, but before we can see for sure, the show cuts away. We are officially plunged into this family’s extreme dysfunction.

Across 10 episodes — most of which are only half an hour, save for the extra-long finale — we jump across a number of different time periods and marinate in the complicated emotions running through all three main characters. Hal & Harper is a show preoccupied with mental health, with how our brains work against us in ways we cannot understand, much less handle without help.

To me, this is both a good and bad thing. Raiff created the show and directed each episode, and there’s a fluidity to the entire production that suits the story he clearly wishes to tell. It’s a heavy story, although not one without catharsis, thankfully. To reach that point, however, we spend a lot of time moving back and forth through time with only the characters’ depression to anchor us, which can make it a trying watch.

Hal & Harper Wears Its Heart On Its Sleeve — For Better Or Worse

In its most basic state, Hal & Harper is all about the two main siblings and their extreme emotional baggage, which largely stems from their father’s own mental health issues and the loss of their mother at a very young age. We never directly see the events surrounding their mother’s death, but the series flashes back to its surrounding incidents enough that we can put the pieces together.

It is, at times, a little tricky working out our place in time. Occasionally, there are chyrons informing us of scenes being set years or hours in the past, but often times the flashes back and forth are so rapid that there’s no need for it. It’s like Hal & Harper is unmoored in time, drawing from the past to define and contextualize the future.

I have yet to see Raiff’s past work, like his lauded 2022 feature Cha Cha Real Smoothso I can’t speak to his overall storytelling sensibilities. Here, he favors quick snapshots and montages. Editor McKinley Carlin, on the four episodes he’s credited for, certainly had his work cut out for him. Raiff edited the others.

The concept of the past being intrinsically tied to the present is further emphasized by Raiff and Reinhart also playing their characters when they’re in elementary school, rather than bringing in younger actors. It’s a clever creative move, and not just because Raiff has a knack for childish mannerisms and facial expressions.

It highlights how Hal and Harper have always felt this way, at their core, even if the actual manifestation of it has changed as they grew up. In Harper’s case especially, it’s a sharp reminder that she had to grow up too fast in the face of death and her father checking out; with Hal, it could be seen as him not growing up at all.

Hal’s primary issue is that he feels he’s stuck, unable to accomplish anything and convinced he’s a burden to everyone around him. He strikes up a relationship with a fellow co-ed (played by Havana Rose Liu) that seems good for him, but also soon sees him falling into familiar traps.

Nor for Harper, she’s stuck in a similar rut, albeit one that finds her far more withdrawn than her outgoing brother. Mere minutes after we meet her, she kisses her co-worker Audrey (Addison Timlin), only for us to very soon learn she has a long-term girlfriend (Alyah Chanelle Scott). Her relationship struggle is a focal point of her character, along with a growing desire to connect with her mother’s family and history.

On top of it all, their father is expecting a baby with his younger girlfriend Kate (Betty Gilpin), and that causes Ruffalo’s character to have his own spiral. As expected, the acclaimed actor rises to the occasion and delivers a wrenching performance, although it can grow weary to see shot after shot of him lying on the floor of the kids’ childhood home, which is on the market.

That is perhaps the best way to describe watching Hal & Harper: wearying. It might be because I watched all eight episodes in a short period of time — the series itself will be released weekly on Mubi — but it became exhausting, simply simmering in these heavy feelings. It felt like every episode featured someone crying, or shutting down and staring mournfully into the distance.

Despite that, though, I recognize this was likely Raiff’s intention. Nor a depiction of mental health, particularly depression, it’s incredibly effective. Raiff shows a deft, sensitive hand, never vilifying the characters for how they act but also not excusing the more problematic things they do.

The eponymous siblings are the heart of the series. Raiff and Reinhart have an easy chemistry that makes them perfectly believable as brother and sister. Their relationship is unflinchingly realistic; they can bicker one minute and then curl up together on the couch the next. We buy into their dynamic immediately and are eager to see it through to the end.

Reinhart has perhaps the trickiest job of all here, since so much of Harper’s turmoil is internal. She must remain stoic for much of the series, and although it could easily become repetitive, Reinhart pulls it off so that when Harper finally breaks, we feel it deep in our chest. Raiff, for his part, keeps Hal a very charming character, even when his personality grates.

Hal & Harper is ultimately a rewarding watch, though likely one that works better week-to-week than even a binge. It’s a series that wears its heart on its sleeve, for better or worse, and takes its time in unraveling these characters and what makes them tick. The series’ hopeful ending makes it a journey worth taking.

The first two episodes of Hal & Harper premiere Sunday, October 19 on Mubi before releasing subsequent episodes weekly.

Release Date: January 26, 2025
Runtime: 110 minutes
Director: Cooper Raiff
Producers: Thomas Hartmann

Pros & Cons

The cast is uniformly excellent, especially leads Cooper Raiff, Lili Reinhart, and Mark Ruffalo.
The seamless editing helps us move back and forth in time smoothly.
The emotional catharsis is satisfying and earned.

The heavy subject matter can get tiresome and repetitive.

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