The Colour Room - Wednesday 9th October 2024

So, when I started watching this film, I was greeted by the statement ‘A Sky Original Production’, which is code for ‘this is an absolute piece sh!t’. Seriously, The Christmas Channel produces better stuff than Sky.

But, they did co-produce the brilliant series ‘Chernobyl’, so the optimist in me clings to the glimmer of hope that they might just pull off the possible, and make something good!
Was this it?
No. This was also sh!t, but not as sh!t as I expected, so they’re definitely improving!
Good story, but not a good film. Poor pacing, poor structure and it just looked cheap. There was no flow of emotion or getting caught up in the character's journey; it felt more like a dramatisation in a documentary, than a movie. There was no scope or dynamism in the direction, and no cinematic sequences. The music didn't really add any sense of emotion, or give us an insight into the character's feelings.
Then there’s the forced ‘diversity’, which is about as subtle as a sledgehammer, and reminds you that you’re watching a poorly executed ‘imaginary’ set of events, rather than a historically accurate portrayal. I’m all for non-white characters in period shows, but be accurate about how many there were, and how they would be treated at that time. Let's not pretend that the past (and present) is some utopia where we’re all equally represented, and we all get along. And while we’re at it, where’s all the forced representation of Indians? We’re the second-largest ethnic group in the UK, but still a tiny fraction of the representation seen in the media (except for newsreaders: we’ve successfully monopolised that unglamorous role).
But I digress...