River (2015)

2015 · Crime,Drama,Mystery · crime-detective-puzzle, crime-psychological-profiler

River is a six-part BBC crime drama in which a London detective — brilliantly played by Stellan Skarsgård — investigates the murder of his partner while haunted by vivid hallucinations of her and other dead figures from his past. The show sits at the intersection of grief drama and police procedural: the mystery is real, but the emotional engine is River's fractured inner world, his mental health, and his profound attachment to the woman he lost. Abi Morgan's writing is precise and humane, the tone is melancholic without being nihilistic, and Nicola Walker's performance (including a joyful, now-iconic opening musical scene) gives the show its warmth. It rewards slow, attentive viewing and generates intense parasocial identification.

From the reviewers

Stellan Skarsgård knocks it out of the park with his sad eyes alone. his facial expressions speaks volumes. No other actor could have made this character so humanely profound as he does.

I love the way his mental decline or status is examined and how its not over the top at all but very real and we accept he's not mad.

It's art disguised as a TV series. IT'S THAT PERFECT!

the scripts. Scripts to die for. Scripts by Abi Morgan (of THE HOUR fame). Scripts so well constructed they could make even Steven Moffat have a rare moment of insecurity

Sub-plots examine love and personal relationships, race relations and mental health and all are handled with equal dignity and are thought provoking.

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Name: River
Released: 2015

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River (2015)

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