21 May 2022

Life After Life - BBC.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p0bqjrnm/life-after-life

What if? It's a question that requires serious consideration. A BBC adaption of Kate Atkinson's novel. It got some mixed reviews. I'm not a fan of box sets, give me a movie any day. These episodic things tend to go into too much detail, veer off into unnecessary sub-plots and usually have some pathetically, unfeasible "twist". This has none of those things. I've rarely come across such excellent use of the television format. Ok, there are only four episodes, so it's not much longer than a long movie, and shorter than some, chopped up into comfortable one hourish chunks

The first episode is a bit irritating, it's repetetive. But there is a point, as becomes clear. Later episodes include some distressing scenes of domestic violence and there is a rape. But amongst the male characters there are also consistently good people. The Little Bear's father, in particular, is a constant throughout her lives, as, in a lesser, but vital way, is her psychiatrist. The piece is fundementally a fictional exploration of Friedrich Nietzsche's hypothetical question of "eternal return". Like all the good stuff it makes you think, and then think some more. Don't be put off by those reviews, and more importantly, dont miss it.


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