The Mortified Guide

The Mortified Guide is an intriguing 2018 Netflix series that combines comedy, documentary, and raw human emotion in an exceptionally unique form of storytelling. True to its name, it takes you on a roller-coaster ride of embarrassment, nostalgia, and audience-wide catharsis, centering on brave adults who share their most cringe-worthy childhood writings in front of total strangers. The result of this audacious experiment is a televisual event that is part public confessional, part communal therapy, and wholly entertaining.

Presenting itself as an anthology series, The Mortified Guide spans six laughter-infused episodes, each ardently focusing on various themes like love, family, sexuality, and fittingly, mortified. Rooted in the personal experience, the show fundamentally deviates from the typical documentary style, employing not so much a "talking heads and B-roll" but pushing boundaries in aesthetic variety, visual context, and narrative structure. These elements collaborate to create a multimediatoric presentation of reality that is graphic on one hand and transcendently reflective on the other.

At the heart of the show are spoken performances by a diverse collection of everyday people willing to share their diaries, love letters, poems, or songs they composed during their tender teenage years. These are not professional actors, but rather ordinary individuals holding down everyday jobs. Physicians, teachers, engineers, and artists alike brave their past and present their missteps, mistakes, unresolved emotions, and frank confessions to the eager crowd. It's this sense of congenial relatability that drives home the powerful message - all of us are fraught with embarrassment, regret, and angst amidst our journey from awkward adolescence to mature adulthood.

These readings are robustly accompanied by well-crafted animations, home videos, and intimate interviews that contextualize and elaborate on the stories told on stage. Weaving these components together, the creators of The Mortified Guide have effectively managed to tackle the trickier aspects of adolescence, love, and coming-of-age. Moreover, the use of humor not only encourages viewers to laugh at the absurdities and catastrophes of youth but also underscores the universality of mortal terror at its hair-raising tribulations.

While some stories incite raucous laughter and deep hilarity, others can touch a much more poignant chord and evoke compassion and empathy. The Mortified Guide skillfully balances moments of light-hearted charm and deep emotional resonance, reminding us that while our experiences may have been painfully embarrassing at the moment, we all inevitably grow and evolve past our youthful indiscretions. It creates a dazzling portrait of human resilience, the ability to laugh at oneself, and the universal journey from childhood to adulthood.

The Mortified Guide's unique concept is inspired by Mortified, a project spanning live stage shows, podcasts, and books, which for over a decade has encouraged people to publicize and celebrate their adolescent awkwardness. As viewers, watching The Mortified Guide feels like joining a secret society where awkward admissions are applauded and painfully relatable pasts are celebrated in all their cringe-worthy glory.

David Nadelberg and Neil Katcher are the creators of the show, and mortgage broker turned comedian, Dave Nadelberg, is its energetic host. In addition to the individuals reading their works, the series also brings in well-known personalities to tackle each episode's theme. The different voices and interpretations of growing up make the series a patchwork quilt of stories, bound together with the threads of angst, affection, hope, and humor, covering virtually every aspect of growing up.

Viewers can't help but develop an emotional attachment to the brave performers who willingly expose their hearts and souls on stage. Their stories of love, family life, sexuality, and other aspects of childhood are an unreserved celebration of the awkward steps we all take in the path to discovering who we truly are. Their moments of cringe-evoking embarrassment provide a humbling reminder that we've all been there, and the honesty and humor with which they approach their pasts make for captivating stories that resonate on a deeply personal level. As we laugh and grimace alongside them, we, too, are transported back to our adolescent days, proving that we are not alone in our shared human experience.

In essence, The Mortified Guide is an engaging concoction of humor, courage, and shared nostalgia that effortlessly taps into the collective embarrassment of youth. By candidly turning the spotlight on individuals' most awkward moments, the show demonstrates that it is acceptable, maybe even necessary, to laugh at one's self; that our teenage stumbling blocks are not unique but simply part of the universally human experience. A humorous yet tender tribute to the pangs of growing up, The Mortified Guide reminds us that, despite the blunders of our youth, we are all a work in progress.