Today we review two types of mysteries - one is set in a leafy London neighborhood and has to do with relationships; while the second is set in the English countryside, and takes on the pandemic as a backdrop.
The Girl Before (HBO Go) - An adaptation of one of the psychological mystery/drama novels of JP Delaney, this four part Limited Series boasts of an excellent cast, who throw themselves with enthusiasm and commitment to the project. The author of the novel himself wrote the adaptation, and the narrative covers three distinct timelines - and at the center of the story is a modern, minimalist detached house, that’s located in an upscale London suburb. The first thing we’ll notice is how the house stands apart from the rest of the neighborhood, which is populated by more traditional suburban structures. The first timeline has to do with the architect of the house, Edward (David Oyelowo), and how he tragically loses his wife and child, and so decides to offer his newly built home to prospective tenants, but with very unusual conditions.
Then there’s the second timeline of an unstable couple, Emma and Simon (Jessica Plummer and Ben Hardy), who are given use of the house, and it’s not exactly clear why they qualified. Lastly, we’re taken three years later to a new tenant, Jane (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), who lost her child to stillbirth, and is picking up the pieces of her life. The first thing we’ll pick up is the striking physical resemblance between Jane and Emma - and, as it turns out, with the wife of David. It’s from this premise that the mystery slowly unravels, and there are MacGuffins strewn along the way to keep us guessing as to what and who are behind the deaths that seem to proliferate around the house. You’ll just wish people acted more rationally; but then, we wouldn’t have the storyline, with shades of Parasite (secret rooms within the house).
In the Earth (HBO Go) - Directed by the outrageous Ben Wheatley during the pandemic, here is a horror film that takes a devastating virus that has gripped England as the backdrop for its story. The film basically asks if we’re ready to step out once again, and enjoy Nature - or whether we’ve ravaged the planet, and it’s now time for Nature to strike back. The narrative takes those things we’ve missed during the pandemic - like being outdoors, taking long hikes in forests and glens - and turning them into terrifying journeys that hint we might be better staying put in our cocoon of a home. It stars Joel Fry as Martin, a scientist who’s been assigned to a forest location, and we have Ellora Torchia as Alma, the park ranger who’s been assigned to take him around while he does his research.
I won’t give away much here, as the whole point of the exercise is to be unsettled and surprised by what transpires during their walk through the forest. I can say though that while much of the film seems spur of the moment and feels like Wheatley had nothing much more than a COVID premise and some disturbing images in his mind, the film does work as a cult filmmaker’s wet dream. The plot may seem flimsy at times, and there is a great deal of stretching done; but you’ll have to credit Wheatley for coming up with arresting, often gory, images and sequences. Joel Fry we know better as the funny sidekick, so it is a bit of a surprise to find him in a lead role, and carrying the film - the slight problem being we expect him to crack a joke every now and then.