Several things strike me about this miniseries (movie, tv show? I'm not sure what to call it!). First of all, it is not typical Hollywoodized fare - the characters are all painfully real, down to the DCI who suffers from hay fever to the bookstore employee who walks with crutches. The relationships are scripted and acted so well that you feel like you're watching a slice out of their lives, not actors performing roles. And the acting is absolutely superb. Amanda Burton is both chilling and sympathetic (a hard balance to acheive) and utterly believable. The extremely likeable Paul McGann (Dr. Who, Horatio Hornblower) is such a perfectly bemused Ben Turner that you are left believing that this is what Paul McGann must be truly like. However, the show is stolen (at least in my opinion) by the very handsome Christopher Villiars as the tortured DI Andrew Cannon, whose role, like everyone's, is fleshed out extremely well. Also very notable is the fetching young Karis Copp, who gives an outstanding and surprisingly sensitive performance as 7-year-old Emmy.

Against the picturesque backdrop of a charming little Cotswolds village (a wonderful contrast to the ultimate evil of a murdered child) the story plays itself out at an unhurried pace, letting you savor the characters and live their lives alongside them as events unfold. With each new revelation the plot twists and turns, culminating in a conclusion so disturbing that it kept me awake half the night pondering it.

My only complaints are the COMPLETE lack of any kind of extra features on the DVD, and the full-screen presentation (it was broadcast on PBS in widescreen). But the story itself is without flaw, and these minor complaints do not take away from its impact.

Absolutely one of the most memorable and gripping stories you will ever watch.


Unusual, unforgettable mystery   August 17, 2002
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

This is an unusual murder mystery in the sense that it focuses on 2 eerily similar murders 20 years apart and emphasizes the families involved and how these crimes affected them. Most murder mysteries portray the detectives and the resulting quest to find the killer, with little attention given to the victims' families and friends and how the murder affects them. That is what makes this story different--yes, you do see the police questioning the suspects, but the sense is more peripherial than usual. What is depicted is the sadness of the parents who learn that their child has been murdered, how they cope with it, and how it changes the family and the relationship between the husband and wife, and the relationship between the parents and (surviving) children.
There are several twists and turns in the plot. Many of the characters in this drama are not what nor who they appear to be at first. This only adds to the overall uneasiness of the story. Is Ben Turner really who he says he is? Is Rachel Munro simply a grieving mother, unable to move on with her life after her daughter was killed 20 years ago, or is she more unstable--unable to accept that perhaps Ben did not murder her child. Her anger and horror when she learns how the police "helped" convict Ben turns to anguish--not only has she lost 20 years of her life hating the wrong person, but the real killer is still free.
There is also an interesting unlying theme of redemption and rehabilitation running throughout the story. If Ben did kill Rachel's child, he certainly does not appear to be the same person that he was 20 years ago. He now has a wife, a daughter, and a child on the way of his own. He and his wife seem to have a good marriage. It does not seem likely that he killed the little girl in his daughter's class. Yet, once his friends and neighbors learn that he is a suspect (and has been convicted of a similar crime in the past), those friendships are altered. The trust is no longer there. Rachel's role in this is also interesting--is she so set upon revenge for her daughter's death that she no longer cares whether she is persecuting the wrong person? Or is she just unstable?
The story does not neatly tie up loose ends. The revelation of the killers of both girls leaves more questions about the characters and the family relationships. You will not forget this mystery. Highly recommended.