The Stan Original Series Exposure is a psychological thriller that will leave you captivated.

From the first episode, it's instantly clear that the new Stan Original Series Exposure was created by a team of women.

There's a brutal honesty baked in the storytelling, wrapped around an exploration of female friendship in its most tender and hurtful moments, all tinged with a lurking feeling that many areas of the world remain unsafe.

The eight-episode series was created and written by Lucy Coleman who, after experiencing an assault at age 22, felt driven to tell this story to give a voice to not only her own experience but also the legions of women who have gone through a similar situation.

The story of Exposure is told through the eyes of a 27-year-old Sydney-based photographer named Jacs, played by Alice Englert (known for her roles in Beautiful Creatures, Top of the Lake, and The Serpent). Jacs' world is turned upside down after she discovers the body of her best friend and housemate Kel (played by Mia Artemis) following her death by suicide in their shared home.

In the aftermath of Kel's death, Jacs returns to her hometown of Port Kembla — but despite the support and pressure from her mother (played by Essie Davis) to heal and get her life back on track, she cannot begin to move on.

A beautifully constructed story thread throughout Exposure is the exploration of the many facets of grief following Kel's death.

There's a sweet but sobering moment between Jacs and Kel's mother at the funeral, during which Jacs, despondent that her last moments with her best friend are wrapped up in an unpleasant memory, asks to borrow a memory. Kel's mother replies that her last conversation with her daughter was a reminder to pay her car registration and the two women smile at each other as they share a tearful moment.

At the same time as these more tender moments are taking place, Jacs is spiralling out of control: Staying out all night, drinking excessively, attending parties, getting into fights, giving herself brutal hangovers, and engaging in a string of sexual encounters.

There's a sense that she's looking for a way to escape her grief, while also punishing herself for the loss of her best friend.

Take a look at the trailer for the Stan Original Series Exposure. Post continues below.

Along with being a thought-provoking drama, the story of Exposure also plays out like an unmissable atmospheric thriller.

After Kel's death, Jacs becomes obsessed with the idea that a number in her best friend's phone is somehow linked to the circumstances surrounding her death.

There is a mysterious contact saved in Kel's phone under the name "DO NOT MESSAGE" — a contact linked to deleted messages and missed calls.

Only two messages remain left on the phone, which read:

"This should never have happened."

And 

"I never meant to hurt you."

With only the phone as her guide, Jacs begins to close in on a series of men who had ties to Kel, often putting herself in uncomfortable and even dangerous situations, trying to unmask the name in her best friend's phone and piece together some information about her final days.

There are scenes in Exposure that are a love letter to a particular kind of intimacy and trust that can only be found in the depths of female friendship, and these parts of the story are told through adventurous flashbacks of Jacs and Kel travelling together.

This is also a series that deftly handles its subject matter, never shying away from trauma, grief or pain. It is a story that invites the audience to sit in life's hardest moments, never throwing a Hollywood gloss over the most troubling scenes, all while examining the complexity of how these moments came to be.

Exposure features an impressive ensemble cast including Thomas Weatherall (Heartbreak High), Sean Keenan (Stan Original Series Bali 2002), Ewen Leslie (Stan Original Series Prosper), George Mason (The Power of the Dog), Christian Byers (Stan Original Series Bump), David Howell (Last Days of the Space Age), Thom Green (Dance Academy), Domino McCathrion (The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart), Victoria Haralabidou (Stan Original Series The Tourist), and Daniel Frederiksen (Upright). The series was directed by Bonnie Moir (Love Me season two) and produced by Nicole O'Donohue (Frayed), with Justin Kurzel (Stan Original Film Nitram), and Shaun Grant (Stan Original Film Nitram).

The series is beautifully led by a powerhouse performance from Alice Englert, who brings a fascinating rawness and complexity to the character of Jacs. You won't be able to look away from her while she's on the screen.

The Stan Original Series Exposure was the only TV series selected to screen at the Sydney Film Festival and while onstage at the event, Englert said she felt drawn to the project because she thought she could be a friend to the character of Jacs; and Jacs could be one to her, too.

Exposure is an impressive piece of storytelling, one that will stay with you long after you finish watching the last episode. 

The Stan Original Series Exposure is now streaming, only on Stan.

Feature image: Stan.