“Cristóbal Balenciaga” is a six-part biographical drama, about as gorgeous as they come. Available now, on Hulu (in Spanish, French and Basque, with subtitles), the show follows Balenciaga’s life and career over 30 years in Paris, an origin story not only of a famed fashion designer but also, according to the show, of modern fashion itself.
Alberto San Juan stars as Balenciaga, brilliant and uncompromising, who in the first episode is just beginning to push himself to be more distinctive. Many creative-genius shows include a lot of our hero banging his head against a wall, or being teased, reviled or ignored. Not so here: Balenciaga is revered and adored at each stage of his career, by his peers, the news media and the public. How and whether that sinks in is a different matter.
The show occasionally drifts toward cliché, especially because of its trite framing device: Balenciaga is finally sitting for a career-retrospective interview, and we bounce between that and his wistful recollections. Because so much of “Cristóbal Balenciaga” is glamorous — even the elevator doors and the faucets in the bathroom sinks are distinctive — it can lapse into superficiality, too. Balenciaga’s nervous standoffishness, his closeted romantic life and his distaste for personal publicity sometimes make the show, not just the character, feel remote.
But the series is as expressive and beautiful as anything in recent memory, and the show depicts the autobiographical nature of Balenciaga’s work with brilliance and startling potency. He really seems like the clothes; they really seem like him, and San Juan’s performance moves with the hemlines. Egoism and artistry can grow in tandem, and courage and isolation are two ways to do the same thing.
When Balenciaga’s business partner and friend suggests gently that he work on his communication skills, he knows and you know she is right — but you also see that season’s collection and think, Oh: He’s already communicating everything.
When he’s feeling stubborn and misunderstood, he invents the aloofness that is now synonymous with “fashion show.” The million-yard stare, stern expression and lack of eye contact with the audience started, according to “Balenciaga,” as part of his rivalry with Christian Dior. “I’ll show them” is a powerful motivator, and there is something especially thrilling about someone who really does show them, whose sense of superiority comes from legitimate superiority.
