robert-temple-1
This mini-series is a brilliantly-constructed interlocking puzzle, showing in four successive episodes the events of the same night from the points of view of four individuals who all get caught up in the same dramatic and tragic events in entirely different and conflicting ways. The most startling thing of all, however, is the discovery of a truly brilliant child actor named Billy Matthews, aged 8. He really carries the entire mini-series. What is all the more astonishing is that for a great deal of the time he remains stoically silent while under questioning by the police, and I don't think any actor has been as good at acting while saying nothing since the days of the silent films. He truly has a genius for acting. As for why he remains so silent, we eventually find out why his eyes in the police interview room are glued to the clock. Only he knows why he cannot dare to speak until the clock hands show a particular time, and when we figure it out, it is really a devastating revelation. For an 8 year-old boy to pull off such extreme tension over the course of several episodes is an incredible achievement. IMDb does not really inform us who this boy is or where he comes from. Another incredibly intense performance is given in Episode One by Douglas Hodge, one of Britain's finest actors at portraying extreme stress to such a harrowing degree that I can imagine some people requiring tranquilizers just to sit through one of his performances. He already proved his skill at this type of thing with his early triumph in the 1992 mini-series A FATAL INVERSION (see my review). In 2013 he played Paul Burrell in the film DIANA, which I did not want to see, but I am sure he must have been marvellous. He is one of quality British television's most dependable and solid actors, always good for a sterling performance in some classic series or production. Another spectacularly sympathetic and riveting performance is delivered by Georgina Campbell as the girl Rochelle, but she is an actress about whom nothing whatever is known on IMDb apart from her credits, not even her age. She must be the shy type! But she exudes charm as easily as a shaggy dog sheds hair. It was good to see Saskia Reeves providing excellent backup to Douglas Hodge in episode One, as his wife who tries with increasing desperation to cope with her husband going over the edge. I have been an admirer of her work ever since I saw that magical film by Syd Macatney, THE BRIDGE (1992), which was one of her finest performances, and she is by the way just as good on stage as she is on screen. This mini-series was written by Paul Smith, and it is a triumph of inventive, ingenious, and powerful writing. The director was David Evans, who has subsequently directed six episodes of DOWNTON ABBEY. Evans is a subtle, sensitive, and imaginative director who knows how to get incredible performances out of his actors, and especially young actors. Every actor in this mini-series does a wonderful job and it is impossible to mention them all, as there are too many who shine. This mini-series is an incredible achievement. It analyses coincidences and misunderstandings with the expertise of a brain surgeon,. The level of dramatic tension is kept at fever pitch for the entire four episodes. If only there were more things like this on television! The mini-series also has powerful social messages and insights to which we should all pay heed, and I do not believe anyone can watch it without learning deep truths and coming to understand many puzzling aspects of today's society which seem never to have made sense until they were all so dramatically explained by this fabulous production which is so gripping and so informative at the same time. As for the human tragedies revealed, some of them are deeply heart-breaking, but the positive side is that if we only try to understand people better we might all get on so well despite what appear on the surface to be irreconcilable differences. Perhaps it should be mandatory for everybody to see this mini-series, and then the level of social tolerance in Britain would rise considerably.
g.f.farrelly
This four-part series, commissioned by the BBC, tells the interlocking stories of a killing set on a housing estate in London. Each episode shows the plot through the eyes of a different character, including the 13-year old Alfie, played by Billy Matthews, making his TV debut in this series. The linked characters and stories enable us to see identical scenes from completely different perspectives. The writer Paul Smith wanted to show the false views of reality we often have due to our own prejudices and pre-judgements.The stark almost amoral life led by young people who live in these urban estates is accurately portrayed, yet despite the tragic stories of some of the key characters, this is not grim to watch but gripping.The haunting music By Errollyn Wallen, coupled with the stunning acting, brilliant screenplay, clever editing and brilliant direction mean this is a series to watch and keep.
