image from den of geek
One evening, during an endless browse through Netflix I was really excited to find Warp Films/Channel 4's wonderful Southcliffe. I watched the four-part mini-series last year at TIFF without any prior knowledge to the work other than the fact that it was directed by Sean Durkin. That was pretty much all I needed to know.
Like his work on Martha Marcy May Marlene, the dialogue is pared down to the minimum, the narrative is not so much plot driven, but rather character studies of people in exceptional conditions. In Southcliffe a shooting takes place and the series explores the psychological toll that is taken on the small town. Painful, beautiful and slow moving were words that resonated as I left the screening. It is works like this that truly lets the actors flex their thespian muscles and deliver heart wrenching performances. It didn't hurt either that the images are stunning, with an overall grey heaviness of the English town.
So needless to say I'm ready to watch it all again.
May I recommend that should you have the luxury of watching this in one or two sittings that you do so?
Enjoy this great interview with Sean Durkin from Den of Geek.
