Southcliffe Review: “Light Falls” (Series 1, Episode 2)

The fact that this episode manages to achieve this not just once but twice is astonishing. The second times comes when Shirley Henderson discovers Stephen’s mother dead, hides in a neighbours house and frantically rings her daughter, who is out for a morning run, concerned that she may be in grave danger. Again it’s all done in one shot, half her face hugged against a chair as she becomes increasingly aware that her daughter isn’t safe. And as all of us know, she isn’t.

One of the most striking things about Southcliffe thus far is how restrained it is in terms of its violence and the attitudes towards its depiction of violence. Grisoni and Durkin have gone to quite special lengths to make sure that this isn’t a gratuitous exploration of violence. Durkin’s camera doesn’t allow it, instead he realises that you can have a more profound effect on the audience by simply showing reaction shots, so far there have only been two bodies shown very fleetingly. They have gone to extreme lengths to not make this story sensationalist and not engaging in spectacular violence.

Instead, Southcliffe is more about the effect of loss and grief. This episode has compounded that and is taking that theme into some really interesting places, especially as it expands its cast of characters, each with their own set of issues. The flashblack technique which has confused many people actually aids in widening Southcliffe’s richness, sense of community and communal loss. We’re allowed glimpses into the lives of these characters beforehand so we can feel the loss that they go through. The information is presented to us much like the characters receive the information, amidst confusion and a sense of not really comprehending why something like this is happening.

Southcliffe has been criticised for being relentlessly grim and worst of all, confusing. But it’s stillness and slowness is something that seems to have caught the majority of the viewers off guard. Durkin’s direction is brilliant, he borrows a lot from Michael Haneke in that he chooses to frame it very simply, often selecting one shot per scene, using little coverage and allowing the actors to carry it off. With more characters introduced, Southcliffe is hopefully going to get into its key players a bit deeper and examine the aftermath. The role played by Rory Kinnear is one which is going to be of greater significance as we reach the conclusion but so far he has been wilfully underused and occasionally the drama can be too oblique for its own good. For now though, this is a deeply impressive ensemble drama, challenging yes but as previously said, a extremely affecting piece of work.