🎬 Good American Family: Natalia Grace (2025)

Trailer provided by Hulu via YouTube.


Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Release Date: March 19, 2025
Genre: Drama, Psychological Thriller, True Crime
Platform: Hulu
Creator: Katie Robbins

Cast: Imogen Faith Reid, Ellen Pompeo, Mark Duplass 

The latest entry in Hulu’s expanding catalog of true-crime dramatizations, Good American Family tells a story so bizarre, unsettling, and layered in psychological ambiguity that it feels ripped from the pages of a modern gothic thriller. But no — this one really happened.

Inspired by the infamous Natalia Grace case that gripped headlines in the early 2010s, this limited drama series dives deep into the murky waters of truth, parenthood, and perception. The result is an eerie and emotionally complex eight-part miniseries that feels less like a dramatization and more like a haunting mirror held up to the American family ideal.


The Story Behind the Nightmare

For those unfamiliar with the real-life case: Natalia Grace was a Ukrainian orphan with a form of dwarfism, adopted in 2010 by Indiana couple Kristine and Michael Barnett. What seemed like a heartfelt story of international adoption took a dark turn when the Barnetts began to claim that Natalia was not a child at all, but an adult woman posing as one, exhibiting disturbing behavior and threatening their safety. They eventually abandoned her, moving to Canada and leaving Natalia in an apartment alone.

Good American Family fictionalizes this story just enough to keep the dramatization flowing smoothly but retains the heart of the events: the confusion, the media frenzy, and the emotional devastation that comes with being unable to distinguish truth from delusion.


A Chilling Lead Performance

Imogen Faith Reid delivers a breakout performance as Natalia Grace. Her portrayal is equal parts heartbreaking and terrifying. Reid walks a razor-thin line between vulnerability and menace, and she does it with chilling precision. One moment, she’s an innocent child desperately craving affection; the next, she’s staring blankly with a sinister glint in her eye, her face unreadable.

The genius of Reid’s performance lies in the ambiguity. We’re never quite sure what to believe — and that’s the point. Is Natalia a misunderstood girl whose disability and trauma manifest in erratic behavior? Or is she truly a con artist, an adult masquerading as a child to infiltrate a family for her own gain? Reid never tips the scale too far in either direction, keeping us suspended in unease until the very end.


Pompeo and Duplass Bring Complexity to a Contentious Couple

Ellen Pompeo, in her first major TV role post-Grey’s Anatomy, plays Kristine Barnett with a raw intensity that suits the material perfectly. This isn’t a saintly mother fighting for her child — Pompeo’s Kristine is erratic, fiercely protective, and, at times, alarmingly cruel. Her descent from hopeful adoptive parent to panicked accuser is portrayed with such conviction that even when she’s clearly in the wrong, you understand why she believes she’s right.

Mark Duplass is the perfect foil as Michael, her increasingly disillusioned husband. Less fiery but no less culpable, Duplass adds a restrained, internalized anguish to the series. His portrayal evokes a man who slowly realizes he might be caught in something far more disturbing than he initially believed — but finds himself powerless, caught between media pressure, family chaos, and his own doubts.

Together, Pompeo and Duplass create a portrait of a marriage unraveling under the weight of uncertainty, paranoia, and public scrutiny.


Direction and Tone: A Ticking Time Bomb

Visually, Good American Family opts for a grounded, near-clinical approach. The color palette is muted, with washed-out suburban browns and grays dominating the mise-en-scène — a visual reminder that beneath the ideal of the “perfect American home,” something is festering. Directors make smart use of tight, claustrophobic framing, particularly in scenes between Natalia and Kristine, which enhance the psychological tension.

There’s also a noticeable restraint in how the show handles the more sensational aspects of the story. Instead of leaning into horror tropes or exploitative melodrama, it focuses on character study and social commentary. The horror here isn’t in jump scares or overt violence — it’s in the slow erosion of trust, in the way love can curdle into suspicion, and how society eagerly turns private tragedy into spectacle.


Themes: Who Gets to Tell the Story?

At its core, Good American Family isn’t about whether Natalia is telling the truth — it’s about who gets believed, and why. It’s a meditation on ableism, parenthood, media manipulation, and the need to make sense of the incomprehensible.

Kristine insists she’s protecting her family. Natalia insists she’s just a kid. The system fails both — or perhaps neither — and the show is careful not to offer neat answers. That ambiguity might frustrate viewers looking for resolution, but it’s what makes the series so thought-provoking.

The show also subtly critiques the "American family" narrative — the picturesque ideal of adoption as salvation, the suburban dream of good parenting and upward mobility. The Barnetts start the series as poster parents: well-educated, middle class, driven by a sense of purpose. But over time, we see how the pressure to appear good becomes a justification to act monstrously.


What Works, What Doesn’t

Strengths:

  • Imogen Faith Reid’s magnetic, disturbing performance
  • Ellen Pompeo’s nuanced portrayal of psychological decline
  • Thoughtful, non-exploitative handling of real-life subject matter
  • Tense, emotionally rich writing and cinematography
  • Effective use of ambiguity to create narrative tension

Weaknesses:

  • Some subplots — including media coverage and legal proceedings — feel underdeveloped
  • The pacing drags slightly in the middle episodes
  • Viewers unfamiliar with the true story might feel disoriented by the lack of exposition

While not perfect, these flaws don’t take away from the show’s powerful storytelling and gripping performances. It’s a series that leaves you uncomfortable in the best way — pushing you to question your own assumptions about innocence, trust, and the stories we tell to justify our actions.


Final Thoughts

Good American Family is a masterclass in character-driven true crime storytelling. It takes a bizarre and controversial real-life case and transforms it into a slow-burning psychological thriller that feels at once intimate and epic. The ambiguity at its heart is not a bug, but a feature — a deliberate choice that mirrors the unsettling truths about how we interpret trauma, parenthood, and disability in America.

With standout performances from Imogen Faith Reid and Ellen Pompeo, and a script that respects its audience enough not to spoon-feed answers, this Hulu limited series is both a compelling watch and a conversation starter.

Whether you believe Natalia Grace was a victim or a manipulator, one thing is clear: Good American Family is a disturbing and unforgettable examination of how quickly the line between parent and predator, child and threat, can blur.


Verdict: 4/5 stars — Unnerving, bold, and deeply human. A must-watch for true crime and drama fans alike.