#Y Gwyll review

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I Be Geniusen Stuff - Hinterland (y gwyll) S3

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“Hinterland” (2013 – 2016)

Television/Action/Thriller

25 Episodes

Featuring: Richard Harrington, Mali Harries, Alex Harries, Hannah Daniel, Aneirin Hughes

If you have not heard of the television show “Hinterland”(2013 – 2016) then you have been missing out on a real treat, that, if you are a fan of dark, moody, nourish police dramas this will suit you down to the ground. The general conceit is not only different (for UK based shows) but also adds another layer to a format that lives and dies on differences that make them unique. The highly original aspect is that half of the show is in spoken English (with Welsh subtitles) and the other half is in spoken Welsh (with English subtitles) – which gives the show and immediate feel you will be hard pressed to discover in many other English television shows.

Even the title of the show is subtitles in Welsh; it is called Y Gwyll in Welsh (the translation for this is ‘The Dusk’) retitled “Hinterland” for English audiences.

The series first broadcast in 2013 was made up of four stories, each a two-parter; the 2015 series was the same but with a New Years Special; with the latest series in 2016 reverting back to the same format as 2013.

Even though the show can be seen as a procedural there is a main thread that runs through each story which is DCI Tom Mathias, who is on the run from his London past – there is no doubt that his inner workings which are somber also reveal a brilliant but troubled man, who continually isolates himself on the outskirts of a town that from the first episode indicate that they are filled with secrets as dark and destructive as his own.

It is simplistic to say that is a neo noir crime story set in modern times as Wales does add a layer that could be compared to the under layer that existed in post World War II America. If you look at some of the plot descriptions you get a feel for how the locale is portrayed not only through the people but the geography is important as is the climate that is in start contrast to the Noir of Los Angeles of the classic noir period. Of course the show is built around the central character of Tom Mathias who is as anti hero as ever there was, he is not a PI but at times he is not far removed from a hard boiled character. Instead of having been through the war or seen some horrors as a cop he has had some personal losses that inform not only his personality but the way he interacts with his colleagues, the families of victims, suspects as well as the guilty.

Of course it would not be much of a show if Mathias did not start to grow or find some closure, release and get to a place where he started to move forward – which can be something that happens in noir-ish stories.

Other aspects of the show that are integral to its difference is the location, set in Wales, that has been largely unknown, in particular the semi rural landscape which looks incredible, adding an aspect that is in stark contrast to other procedurals. That is not to say that the rural aspect is unique or new, because it most definitely isn’t – the difference is that those shows will show a quirky, fun or unusual type of local person, this program reflects a more hard boiled, hidden personality that struggles with reflecting what people actually are like and not what they are perceived as.

This, like many other UK based police shows are a slow burn normally over a period of an hour and a half which means that you go through many story points as well as emotional points on the way to the conclusion which is normally quite a way from the beginning of the story arc. This of course has become a trope within this genre, but “Hinterland” does offer something more as well as unique, that is the central character of Mathias who as we move through the series becomes a more whole individual than he is at the outset.

Overall I would recommend this highly and once again with a box set just released beg to be binged over a long weekend. This is at times a dark show but always has some positive point of view, mainly from the work mates of Mathias.

“Hinterland” is out now on DVD.

Series 1 (2013)

Devils Brigade – On his first day in his new job in Aberystwyth, DCI Tom Mathias is called out to investigate a suspicious disappearance. In a quiet seaside bungalow, he discovers a bathroom covered in blood but no sign of the resident owner, Helen Jenkins. Discovering that Jenkins was once the manager of a children’s home, DCI Mathias and DI Mared Rhys venture up into the mountains, where DCI Mathias uncovers evidence which suggests Helen has been thrown from the parapet at Devil’s Bridge into the water below.

Night Music – DCI Mathias investigates the brutal murder of 69-year-old Idris Williams, who was found bludgeoned to death in his farmhouse on the Aberystwyth mountains. Despite the lack of an apparent motive for the attack, the disappearance of camera equipment and one picture from the victim’s dark room suggest that whilst photographing the local landscape, Williams pictured something that nobody wanted him to see.

Penwyllt – In the isolated village of Penwyllt, the body of a young labourer, Michael Reynolds, is found in the murky depths of a quarry lake. Initial forensics reveal that Reynolds did not drown where he was found, as water samples found in his lungs contain traces of sheep urine and faeces. As the investigation draws DCI Mathias into the heart of the close-knit community, he discovers that Reynolds was having an affair with the wife of the local pub landlord, and was taking the son of one of his co-workers deep into the forest to visit an hermetic villager, who some years previously had torched his own home and nearly killed his estranged wife and two children.

The Girl in the Water – The carefully posed body of a young woman in a red dress is found in Borth Initial suspicion points towards an ex-boyfriend, who was assaulted by the girl’s father shortly before the girl died, and whose alibi is false. However, Mathias soon discovers the girl was also romantically involved with her university professor, who had tried to end their relationship on the night she died. As Mathias begins to grow close to the girl’s grieving mother, he realizes the investigation has missed one key suspect.

Series 2 (2015)

In the Dead of Night – With blood on his hands, and his future hanging in the balance, DCI Mathias is forced to return to the front line after an arson attack on an isolated farmhouse leaves a mother and child fighting for their lives. Drawn into a community of failing farms and long-standing feuds, what is it about the case that draws Mathias in, pulling him back from the brink?

Ceredigion – Mathias finds that his world has been turned upside down after his wife Meg turns up in Aberystwyth, and an investigation by the IPCC into his conduct is about to reach its conclusion.

The Tale of Nant Gwrtheyrn – The murder of a local dignitary and barrister leads to the uncovering of a tragic story of love and loss, fueled by distrust and suspicion in the depths of the hinterland.

Dark River – The discovery of a body in a lake leads to an investigation about a local teacher from a small rural school.

The Sound of Souls – A burnt body on the dunes embroils the team in a long-standing family feud associated with the murder of a young mother, 13 years earlier.

Series 3 (2016)

Aftermath – The murder of local minister Elwyn Jones leads a recovering DCI Mathias and his team deep into the secrets of a small farming village in rural Aberystwyth. Meanwhile, DS Owens leads the investigation into the attack on Mathias, and suspects that Iwan Thomas is more than likely responsible.

A Poacher’s Discovery – Following the disappearance of Iwan Thomas, Prosser decides to distance himself from the case by pointing the finger of suspicion at Mathias. Meanwhile, the murder of a curator who is found buried in woodland leads Mathias and the team into the seedy history of a local artist, Lewis John, until he provides a solid alibi for the night of the murder.

Both Barrels – A shooting at a rural petrol station leads Mathias and the team in search of a schizophrenic man who later resorts to kidnapping his own son.

Return to Pontarfynach – The suicide of convicted murder Caitrin John gives Mathias a surprising new lead into the suspicious death of Iwan Thomas. With Powell having closed the case following pressure from on high, Mathias seeks Mared’s help to run a private investigation.

“Hinterland” is out now on DVD.

DVD review: “Hinterland”(2013 – 2016) “Hinterland” (2013 - 2016) Television/Action/Thriller 25 Episodes Featuring: Richard Harrington, Mali Harries, Alex Harries, Hannah Daniel, Aneirin Hughes…

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‘Hinterland – The Complete Season Three’ Review

‘Hinterland – The Complete Season Three’ Review

There is so much good television out there at the moment that it can be hard to catch up. Hinterland though is one of those that is a hidden gem waiting to be found, unless you already know about it of course. After the events of season two, DCI Tom Mathias (Richard Harrington) is on the hunt for Iwan Thomas (Geraint Morgan). When Thomas is found dead though, Mathias is soon under suspicion in an…

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House of America – Credit @photographise

The sins of the previous generation are manifested in the current one, what goes around comes around, and there’s nothing new under the sun. And yet House of America is far from dull and predictable – it is, in a word, a paradox. Tragedy in the form of on-stage deaths has happened in theatre since the Roman Empire, but this production has managed to make it seem so fresh and convincing. Striking a balance between dark comedy, a borderline absurdist narrative and good old-fashioned theatrical pathos (never overdone here), this is one of those plays that is always relevant to contemporary events, as it’s deep as it is wide.

For instance, people, whether in Wales in the 1980s or in London in 2017, are always a few payslips away from being in financial difficulties. Meanwhile, mental health issues and misuse of drugs and alcohol continue to affect a significant number of people. What’s more is that no prior knowledge of a source material (On The Road, a novel by Jack Kerouac) is required before seeing the show, despite the narrative in that novel forming a major part of the storyline for this play. I’ve never read anything by Kerouac, to the best of my recollection, and a reference Mam (Lowri Lewis) makes to a Mr Snow made me think of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical Carousel rather than Kerouac’s novel.

Mam’s three offspring, Boyo (Robert Durbin), Sid (Peter Grimwood) and Gwenny (Evelyn Campbell), are both individually and collectively very believable, if not always likeable, characters. There are some universal themes that emerge, one about this patch of Wales being this family’s home. This isn’t the first show in which locals stand their ground against the possibility of losing their properties for the sake of redevelopment. But the grass is always greener on the other side, as an exchange between Sid and a labourer (David Palmstrom) demonstrates. Sid, looking for work, wishes he were in the labourer’s place, while the labourer has lost his mind (or so he claims), such is the mundane nature of his job.

There’s a disparity between one’s dreams and one’s current reality, but this doesn’t stop Gwenny from continuing to pursue those dreams and desires, even to the point where the consequences are nothing short of destructive and disastrous. Mam, too, is not exactly psychologically stable, but in the midst of both internal and external problems facing the Lewis household (or what’s left of it), there are still moments of sheer hilarity that bring the house down. Every so often I wondered whether I ought to be laughing at certain punchlines in the context in which they were delivered, but the guilt was always fleeting.

The lighting (Jamie Platt) was impressive, allowing the audience to focus on certain parts of the stage, and reducing the amount of work required at each scene change, as the set largely remained static, leaving only props to be shifted around. There are two things I take away from this highly emotive production. The first is that a family show does not necessarily make for family viewing. The second, more pertinently, is that while it is good to move on from the past, the past should be acknowledged rather than snubbed. In this storyline, the past is buried, in more ways than one, with unfavourable implications for all. I still have questions about what happened in the play, or rather what may or may not have happened, and not everything is resolved before the curtain call. All things considered, this is a dynamic production pulsating with the frustrations at the cards life has dealt its characters.

Review by Chris Omaweng

This is Wales. This is the Lewis family. This is the House of America.

Abandoned by their father for a new life in California, siblings Sid, Gwenny and Boyo are left to care for their mysterious mammy and her growing eccentricities.

With the new mine encroaching in on the family home, their secrets are unearthed and dreams of America soon unravel. As tragedy unfolds, was reality ever what it seemed?

“You think the house is rocking, you haven’t seen nothing yet.”

Explosive and passionate, House of America received international acclaim when first staged in Cardiff in 1988. It later transferred to the Royal Court Theatre in 1989 before being made into a feature film in 1996. Ed Thomas’s other work includes Hinterland / Y Gwyll shot in Welsh and English for S4C and BBC Wales. He is also the founding member and creative director of Cardiff based film and TV production company Fiction Factory.

House of America by Ed Thomas produced by Free Fall productions and Ysbryd London directed by James O’Donnell Tues 27 June to Sat 15 July 2017 at 7.45pm (Contains adult themes, suitable for 16+) http://ift.tt/1qxRmry

http://ift.tt/2t8rfN7 LondonTheatre1.com

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Hinterland /Series 3

Hinterland, BBC Wales’ uncompromising crime drama returns to our screens this month (S4C, who initially financed the development of the programme, broadcast the latest series of its Welsh language version Y Gwyll last autumn), for a third and, if co-creator Ed Talfan’s recent comments are anything to go by, final season. Whilst Talfan was at pains not to rule out the programme returning in another format sometime in the future (a cheery Christmas special, anyone?), his view, subsequently echoed by Hinterland’s lead actor Richard Harrington (DCI Tom Mathias), suggests that the current series of this ground-breaking bi-lingual cop show is set to develop in such a way as to enable the story to come to a natural conclusion. 

That opinion, rather than being an admission that Hinterland’s power to enthral is somehow on the wane is, in fact, a reference to the harrowing backstory of the tormented and traumatised Mathias having finally worked its way to a (presumably) satisfying narrative resolution - there was even a hint in the season opener that Mathias may soon be dipping his big toe into the sea of love again, for goodness sake! And, there’s the rub; Hinterland is a detective drama where the plot often takes second place (sometimes third, if you, like me, spend a fair degree of the show’s 90-minute running time ruminating on the mysterious beauty of Ceredigion), to the psychological excavation of Mathias’s battered subconscious. If Mathias is finally allowed to come to peace with his past, then the dark undercurrents that have swept him along his particular path of destruction will have disappeared along with much of the psychological tension that motivated our anti-hero.

For those coming to the show late on in its run, a quick de-brief may be in order: DCI Tom Mathias has returned home to Wales after serving for a decade with the London Metropolitan Police, unfortunately, though, it’s not to be a happy homecoming; we soon discover that Matthias is desperately trying to escape a tragedy in his recent past. Harrington, a very fine actor who had previously caught the eye as Dr. Allan Woodcourt in the rip-roaring BBC adaptation of Dickens’ Bleak House (2005), plays the broken Mathias in a pent-up manner that echoes Humphrey Bogart’s portrayal of doomed gangster Duke Mantee in The Petrified Forest (1936); all gnarled, internalised rage, a loner constantly on the verge of violent despair. By the close of series 2, Mathias is hunkered down in a static caravan at the cliff’s edge, weighing up whether or not to take his own life. 

Richard Harrington and Mali Harries

On the surface, Series 3, Episode 1, (for some reason each individual episode no longer has a title), opens with a routine enough scene in which Mathias is simply seen washing his face and staring bleakly into the mirror above the washbasin. However, his morning drill is intercut with interior shots of his torched caravan (the climax to series 2). After he has finished scrubbing up, he hangs a towel over the mirror, deliberately blocking-off his reflection as if drawing a veil over his time spent in solitary confinement there and even, perhaps, over his period of mourning for his young daughter. The camera is positioned directly behind him, an approach which continues outside as he stares at the broken shell of his caravan. It’s a camera angle that re-occurs multiple times over the 90 minutes, making it clear that we are witnessing the unfolding events through the eyes of Mathias himself. 

The twin-track plot of the opening episode (scripted by Debbie Moon, who also penned the excellent “Ceredigion” episode in series 2), centres around finding the arsonist who set fire to Mathias’s caravan (there is an obvious suspect carried over from the last series), and solving the murder of the local minister Elwyn Jones, who has just been found bludgeoned to death in his own home. Working through the clues to a crime, though, isn’t really what this show is all about; plots are specifically tailored to mirror Mathias’s internal struggles with grief and guilt (here, one of the leading suspects may be motivated by the death of a child to seek revenge), and have a more aesthetic function than is usual in a mainstream detective drama. Which is probably just as well, as both family members that I watched the episode with unmasked the killer very early on! 

Whilst the show’s stark, rural setting helps define the show, it also severely limits the scope of the programme makers to come up with a believable crime for Mathias to investigate, a point co-creator and director Ed Thomas stressed to Wales Arts Review back in 2014 ‘The kinds of stories we can make in Hinterland is quite narrow. It’s not going to be a massive international drugs bust story or fast moving. It’s dictated by the locals and that’s blood, belonging, history, families, loss, loneliness and the landscape.’ He may as well be describing the plot layout for season 3’s opener! 

With the above restrictions in mind, it’s always interesting to see how Hinterland varies its plot palette (answer: with great difficulty) and how the creative team behind the show make full use of the distinctive landscape (answer: panoramic views of lowering skies, derelict farmhouses, and woodland hideaways). The opening episode of series 3 follows a familiar pattern - there are scenes with Mathias winding his way through mountain roads (both Shetland and Vera tread a similar path), together with standard shots of the sea crashing against, and recoiling from, Aberystwyth seafront. 

Hinterland, however, doesn’t have to rely on clichés to engineer its unique atmosphere; filmed largely in the area between Tregaron and Machynlleth, executive producer Ed Thomas makes full use of Ceredigion’s breathtaking scenery; lingering shots of isolated farmhouses stitched haphazardly into the stark countryside are peopled with sickly, dysfunctional men and women, hemmed in by the blackened mountains, the closing sea and their own demons. These bleak, imposing landscapes are used to frame the action, with as much of the investigation as possible taking place on the road; witnesses and suspects are often questioned in farmyards or outbuildings (in this episode a vet is interrogated while washing lambs blood out of the back of his Land Rover!), so that the spell of the show isn’t broken. This doesn’t happen by chance; Ed Thomas made a conscious decision at the series’ outset to restrict our view of modern day Wales - so don’t expect too many scenes set in sprawling shopping malls or plastic pubs. And although Aberystwyth is a coastal town, the expanse of the sea remains unexplored too; sifting through the dark depths of the human mind is, and always has been, the true business of Hinterland.  

As Mathias continues his investigation into the minister’s murder, a family portrait at the scene of the crime and a half-drunk bottle of whiskey kept in a desk drawer is enough to dislodge more of the DCI’s buried memories, almost making him keel over with misery. The scene plays out with a grim-faced Mathias slumped in a chair clutching a packet of painkillers, or possibly, anti-depressants. There’s not a word spoken, but it’s exactly the kind of scene that makes Hinterland such a compelling watch. Harrington (under)plays to perfection here, resisting the temptation to ham up his character’s relapse. 

For a moment it seems as though Mathias isn’t quite ready to emerge from his cocoon of despair, but the relapse is only temporary, and a scene with the landlady of his B&B (the very fact he is prepared to live in shared accommodation signifies that the healing process is fully underway and that Mathias is ready to take his place in the world again), is clearly designed to show the detective at last contemplating a life outside of the confines of Aberystwyth Police Station. Later, when consoling the bereaved Lyn Edwards, he is almost able to joke about their shared mental health crisis. When Edwards asks how he can offer his wife hope ‘when all I want to do is close my eyes and never wake up’, Matthias’s response ‘If you find the answer to that one, will you let me know’ is as honest as it is heartbreaking. Importantly, though, he is prepared to accept the possibility of an answer-a prospect he wouldn’t previously have countenanced. 

As the net closes in on the murderer in the family, the second plot strand begins to take precedence. Iwan Thomas, the suspected arsonist, confronts Mathias’s boss Chief Superintendent Brian Prosser (Aneirin Hughes) with allegations of a high-level police cover-up into abuse at a local children’s home (the subject of the very first programme in season 1). The rather sketchy, unexplored figure of the seemingly untrustworthy Prosser has been one of Hinterland’s noticeable failures. Always looming in the shadows, and clearly the keeper of sinister secrets, he has remained a character in search of a back-story throughout the show’s history. His role in the denouement, here, though, was truly shocking and served as a powerful reminder that Hinterland can still pack a knockout punch when the storyline demands it. 

With Hinterland drawing to a close, it’s worth reflecting on the show’s success. First off, it shouldn’t be underestimated that Wales now has its very own top-notch detective. Mathias, as emotionally zipped up as his trademark wax jacket, deserves to be ranked right up there with Morse, Tennison, Regan and Hunt in the pantheon of truly memorable British crime-busters. Whilst Harrington all but carries the show, there was fine support from his colleagues, especially Mali Harries as DI Mared Rhys. Hinterland’s co-creators Ed Thomas and Ed Talfan should obviously take a bow too; it was a truly visionary idea to make a bilingual crime-noir, and to commit to shooting the programme back to back in English and Welsh was a real labour of love for all concerned.  In addition, Hinterland proved to be a commercial success too; fitting neatly into BBC4’s super-cool subtitled slot on Saturday evenings, being shown across much of mainland Europe as well as being streamed to American and Canadian audiences via Netflix. 

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I Be Geniusen Stuff - Hinterland (y gwyll) S3