Wallander: The Fifth Woman

Wallander concluded its superb second season on Masterpiece Mystery with The Fifth Woman. Now, I read a few reviews here and there on the internet expressing some dissatisfaction with this episode - apparently it deviates somewhat from the original Mankell novel. However, as I mentioned in a previous Wallander review post, I'm not familiar at all with the books, so I really enjoy viewing these films with no foreknowledge of the storylines. If the filmmakers made significant changes in this adaptation, I'm rather glad I didn't know - because I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. I know I say every time that Kenneth Branagh is brilliant, but this episode is the crowning jewel of his acting during this season - it's quite the experience. Here's the story summary for this episode from the PBS website:

A bird-watcher falls to his painful death while being observed by a masked figure. A florist with a violent past has gone missing, stains of blood spotting the floor in his orchid-lined shop. Inspector Kurt Wallander (Kenneth Branagh) is torn between two disparate murders while dealing with one harsh and heartbreaking reality — the demise of his father. When another victim is found, it is clear that a serial killer is at work in Ystad. It is one of Wallander's most personal and harrowing cases — one that will even bring him into an unexpected kinship with a killer. The Fifth Woman is based on the novel by international bestseller Henning Mankell. (One episode; 90 minutes, TV-PG)

This episode opens with a heart-breaking preview of what's to come. Wallander is visiting his ailing father, Povel (David Warner), in the nursing home - for the first time in ages Wallander has appeared relatively healthy and functional when in the same room as his dad. Throughout the series their relationship has been highly volatile - tragically the two were more often at odds than not. But Branagh always made sure that as viewers we knew Wallander wanted to get this father/son thing right - he wants to have close relationships, he's just never sure how to make them work, or make the relatively good times last. Povel wants to go home to die, and Kurt obliges, little realizing that his father's death is imminent.

At the same time Wallander is trying to deal with - or suppress, depending on how you look at it - his father's death, a serial killer seems to be at work in Ystad. Two men, seemingly unconnected, are murdered in brutal, public ways. That has to be one of the most awful things in the world to try and fathom - the apparent, vicious randomness of it all. But of course there's a connection - Wallander just has to find it. One of the cases introduces a tantalizing possibility into Wallander's life - he meets a woman. But can it possibly work in our highly dysfunctional detective's life?! Oh the stress! *sigh* Vanja (Saskia Reeves) is the secretary and one-time lover of one of the murdered men. I love watching Branagh's face when the two first meet on-screen - there's this little spark, this little breath that lets you know how interested he is - but it's been so long he's not sure what to do with those feelings.

As Wallander tries to work the murder cases, he ends up interviewing several family members and acquaintances of the victims - it's interesting to see him probe their grief as he attempts to work through his feelings about his father's death. The murdered men were, by all accounts, difficult at the very least - in that respect similar to Kurt's father. He really struggles trying to figure out exactly how he's "supposed" to feel about the whole situation - the key of course being, I think, that sometimes you just need to be, you know, and *try* not to overanalyze everything, or as Kurt often does, repress it all. Povel's final words to his son were an admonishment to "find someone to sit with him," since no one can or should do life on their own. There's an hilarious moment when Kurt decides getting a dog will do for him - silly man. *sigh*

So, on to the crimes. Three unconnected men have been murdered, and all had a penchant for violence and abuse towards the women in their lives. The break comes when Vanja recognizes a photograph of the third victim's latest lover - it turns out all the men were related by their relationship to a group of women, including Vanja, who belonged to the same support group for abused women. It was at this point in the film that all of the pieces fell into place with absurd ease - the perpetrator wasn't just telegraphed, her name was put up in flashing neon lights. But the crimes weren't really the point of this story - it's why they were committed that's really fascinating, and it's the reason this case has the potential to be a major turning point in Wallander's life. I like the way the summary on the PBS website phrases this - "Thinking about the death of his own father, Wallander recognizes that grief can be drenched in guilt" - and this proves to be an unexpected bond with the murderer.

I desperately hope that Wallander is back for a third series next year. I really, really want to see more of the Kurt that Kenneth Branagh gives us in this episode - the Kurt that confronts his rawest, most painful emotions and finds the courage to set the past aside and take tentative steps into the future. The Kurt who decides that maybe, just maybe, he isn't so damaged that he could never be in a relationship again. Kurt and Vanja's scenes are quite simply a delight to watch. Both of them are so damaged by the past, they carry so much baggage between them, but you don't see that when the two of them are on-screen together. Instead, you see hope. Fantastic acting and on-screen chemistry by both Branagh and Reeves. Wallander goes from still wearing his wedding ring and awkwardly dealing with his ex-wife and daughter (Jeany Spark) at Povel's funeral to leaving his ring at Povel's headstone, symbolically laying that part of his life to rest with his father. Oh, and I have to tell you how much I LOVED the fact that Vanja had one of Povel's paintings in her apartment. At that moment you can see Kurt receive his father's blessing; it's as if he could hear Povel say this is all I've wanted for you, a bit of peace. Such a beautiful moment, and it's a fitting capstone to the most emotionally wrenching yet emotionally satisfying episode of the series to date. I look forward to the show's return.

To those blog readers who could care less about Wallander, thank you for sticking with me as I've tried to catch up on my reviews of this show. I'll try to shake things up over the next few posts. :)

*Random aside - Sadly I don't really have anything to say about Magnus (Tom Hiddleston) in this review, but doesn't he look positively de-lish in the photo? Love ya, Tom. :)

Wallander: The Man Who Smiled

Wallander's second series continued with the episode, The Man Who Smiled, earlier this season on Masterpiece Mystery. This was another superb entry in this second season. Following the events in Faceless Killers, Kurt has left the police force indefinitely after killing a man in the line of duty for the first time in his career. Here's the story summary from the PBS website:

Gustaf Torstensson quietly chants "Mea culpa, mea culpa," as he drives to his death. His son Sten Torstensson, a friend of Inspector Kurt Wallander (Kenneth Branagh), begs the detective to investigate the suspicious case — Wallander is his last hope. But hope has all but drained from Wallander's life, as he's now on indefinite leave from his work and has been all but forgotten after enduring an on-the-job trauma. When Sten is found dead, an apparent suicide, Wallander is drawn back to inquire. The clues and suspects are provocative enough — postcards with death threats, a respected and reviled philanthropist working in Africa and a former cop tormented by his own personal demons. But Wallander's reentry is an uneasy one, and even as the case comes together, his fragile stability and increasingly questionable judgment are severely tested. Rupert Graves guest stars in The Man Who Smiled, based on the novel by international bestseller Henning Mankell. (One episode; 90 minutes, TV-PG)

Branagh's acting once again absolutely shines in this episode. When the story opens, Wallander is on indefinite medical leave, staying at a solitary seaside inn. (Personally, if I was the woman who owned that inn, I'd be extraordinarily depressed having a "guest" as "cheery" as Wallander around 24/7. Just sayin'.) He's not sure if he can rejoin the land of the living, or if he's even willing to try, until he gets a visit from an old lawyer friend asking him to look into his father's death - supposedly a tragic car accident, but he doesn't buy it. It's fascinating to watch the push-pull of emotion play across Branagh's face during these scenes. Wallander might want to deny the fact that he was born to be a police officer, but the overwhelming pull to uncover the truth, to help a friend, is such an integral part of him that it cannot be denied. The cost of Kurt's professionalism on his family is not easy to put into words. His father, Povel (David Warner), is in the last stages of Alzheimer's, and his daughter Linda (Jeany Spark) is understandably frustrated that everyone else seems to be a priority for Kurt except his family.

The subsequent scenes where Wallander returns to his house and attempts to re-establish something close to "normal" life is quiet eye-opening - it really drives home how personally empty Kurt's life really is. No one's been paying the utility bills, so he has no electricity, and his refrigerator is a disgusting repository for all sorts of new varieties of mold. And when bird crap falls on the hood of his car right in front of him? Well, it's a funny scene but it's also a pretty sad statement about his life in general. Kurt's also battling an addiction to what I assume are painkillers - Branagh plays those scenes brilliantly. The pull of addiction and the equally painful pull to resist it all openly play over his features and every mannerism in achingly painful detail. Wallander's personal struggles to just function day-to-day are really the crux of this episode and the most fascinating part of the story for me.

As Wallander attempts to re-enter the police force, he has to contend with some professional tension, mainly from Magnus (Tom Hiddleston). Magnus was the lead officer on the car-related death, and he doesn't even try to mask his annoyance when Kurt returns, with no warning, and starts trying to shoot holes in his case. This was an interesting angle for the filmmakers to touch on - I've always sort of viewed Magnus as Kurt's protege, and of course it can be a very touchy situation when someone in his position is trying to branch out and establish themselves, only to have to admit they don't know everything (yet, anyway). For the most part, Magnus handles Kurt's re-entry into his professional life with fairly good grace, though Hiddleston does have some priceless facial expressions that flash whenever he's especially exasperated with Kurt.

The stakes escalate when both of a wealthy philanthropist's legal representatives end up dead (one of them being the friend who'd attempted to get Kurt to investigate his father's death earlier). The philanthropist, Alfred Harderberg, is played by Rupert Graves, who can currently be seen in the first season of Sherlock as Inspector Lestrade. At first blush, Harderberg is as much of a potential victim as his legal counsel - all three of them had received threats. Harderberg is deeply involved in a foundation he established in Africa - if everything he's doing is so good, why the threats? This is a role that really plays to Graves's ability to be creepy on-screen. Harderberg's smooth-talking, philanthropic exterior masks the heart of a cold-blooded, money hungry killer. The name of this episode couldn't be more fitting - "the man who smiled" turns out to be absolutely, chillingly, soulless.

Wallander has a potential "in" for investigating Harderberg - his head of security is a former police officer names Anders, who was kicked off the force after killing an innocent bystander during a car chase. Anders is played by Vincent Regan, who has appeared in a couple of good programs, from Miss Marple to ShakespeaRe-Told. Kurt's relationship with Anders is an interesting one. Both men have killed people while on duty - however, Kurt gets a pass, if you will, because the death he was involved in was self-defense. The film makes clear, though, that the effects of each death were equally devastating on both Anders and Kurt. Both men have been through nearly identical shock and grieving processes, but it's clear that Anders clearly envies Kurt, because Kurt has a way back "in," the chance to continue to do the work he was born to do, but he must choose to accept that opportunity.

As the investigation progresses, Kurt discovers that Harderberg's foundation is merely a front for selling organs "harvested" from those he claims to help in Africa. While most of the paperwork was in the names of Harderberg's lawyers (which is why the were silenced), Anders is able to provide Kurt with hard proof - after all, who's going to view a has-been cop as a threat? This case provides Anders with a shot at redemption, a way "back in," though he pays for it with his life. It's also the impetus that drives Kurt to fully embrace his life as a police officer - he can't run from his job anymore than he can stop breathing. When he answers his office phone in the final scene I can't help but cheer. Branagh is brilliant in these final scenes and as far as I'm concerned deserves any acting accolades he gets for his performance in this series. (I will say I thought the scriptwriters pulled a pretty good bait-and-switch with Anders's character - up until the end I wasn't sure whether or not he'd turn out to be one of the good guys.)

This season of Wallander reminds me of Joseph Campbell and his definition of the hero's journey (separation, initiation, and return). The over-arching theme of this season is whether or not Wallander can accept his destiny to be a policeman. The events at the end of Faceless Killers sent Kurt running from his calling, but the case of The Man Who Smiled brings Kurt face-to-face with his demons, ready to face his future with renewed focus and purpose. It remains to be seen in the third installment whether or not Kurt will win a decisive victory... :)

Wallander: Faceless Killers

Poor Wallander got the short end of the stick on the blog this year, I’m afraid. Due to time constraints and various other issues that came up when Series II aired a few weeks ago on Masterpiece Mystery, I was unable to review the episodes as they aired. Now that Series II is on DVD, I’m hoping to rectify that situation. Better late than never, right? Last year Wallander was a great surprise. Thanks to some less than intriguing (in my view at any rate) previews, I’d nearly made the mistake of writing off the show entirely despite my long-time appreciation of lead actor Kenneth Branagh. Thankfully, I didn’t make that mistake – Wallander is the perfect vehicle for Branagh’s acting talents, and the stories are wholly absorbing. The first episode of Series II was ominously entitled Faceless Killers. Here’s the story summary from the PBS website:

An elderly couple is brutally assaulted in their rural farmhouse. As Swedish inspector (Kenneth Branagh) arrives at the horrific scene, he holds the old woman as she dies, shouting to her one final, urgent question — "Who did this?" She sounds out something that could be "farmer" or maybe "foreigner." But is Wallander reading into it? Is he swayed by his struggle to relate to his daughter's new boyfriend of Syrian descent? The press takes hold of the foreigner angle, inciting swift and deadly retribution against local migrant workers. But there is more to the case — a potential mistress, a lost son and a large sum of money. Wallander's inquiry takes him deep into his own damaged psyche, forcing him to examine and question his own motives before he can even begin to understand those of a killer. Faceless Killers is based on the novel by international bestseller Henning Mankell. (One episode; 90 minutes, TV-PG)

The opening scene of this episode has to be one of the most chilling in the series. An elderly farming couple, Joannes and Maria Lovgren, appear to be enjoying a quiet meal when they’re interrupted by two masked intruders. Maria’s final scream, as the camera cuts away, is positively blood-curdling. When Wallander is called to the crime scene from a dinner with his daughter, Linda (Jeany Spark, due to appear in this week's upcoming Sherlock episode!) and her new boyfriend, Jamal (Arsher Ali), he’s just in time to hear Maria’s final words. “Fffff….” – was she trying to say “farmer,” or “foreigner”? Could Wallander be projecting his own struggle over his latest war of words with his daughter, whose boyfriend is a doctor of Syrian heritage – a fact that surprised the detective, and awakened possible prejudices within him that he didn’t know he had, much less wanted to admit to or risk projecting on a case. Though Wallander refuses to commit to the possibility that Maria may have been muttering “foreigner” with her dying breath, the potential lead is leaked to the media and soon the police are dealing with an overwhelming tide of anti-immigrant sentiment. Now the overworked, stressed Wallander must try to stop revenge killings while attempting close the Lovgren case, which proves more complex than originally thought.

I have no idea how faithful these films are to the original source material, the crime novels of Henning Mankell. In fact, I’d never even heard of Mankell until Wallander premiered on Masterpiece Mystery last year. In a way I’m quite grateful for my lack of pre-knowledge about the storylines, because that allows me to approach each entry in this series with fresh eyes. The stories and character backgrounds are utterly unknown to me, so watching Wallander’s character develop over the course of this series has been a fantastic, completely absorbing treat. I do have a feeling that those with insider knowledge would probably argue that this show is a case of the Brits “doing” Swedish culture, but for me there’s enough of a difference in mood, setting, and presentation to make Wallander stand out from typical British mystery fare. The sense of atmosphere created by the filmmakers is superb – moody, creepy, and absorbing. And whether or not this version of Kurt Wallander is wholly faithful to the original novels, I absolutely love Kenneth Branagh in this show and I really feel like he was born to play this character. After every episode I feel emotionally drained, because it’s impossible not to feel like I’ve just watched a great actor pour every ounce of his heart and soul into the role.

When this episode initially aired on Masterpiece, I watched it with my mom, and we both commented on how the migrant worker aspect of the storyline felt so relevant given how that discussion has figured in the news for the last few years. It was quite eye-opening to see tension like that play out in another country, albeit within a fictional framework. Neither of us had any idea that Sweden had a vibrant Middle Eastern population, with a significant portion of those individuals apparently working as migrant workers on farms. I thought the way that Wallander tried to work through his flash of prejudice when he meets Linda’s boyfriend, and subsequently through the investigation, was handled quite honestly and realistically. Wallander is, at his core, a man who strives to constantly do good, to bring some justice to his little corner of the world. The idea that he unconsciously harbored any sort of racial prejudice horrifies him, and his reaction is quite raw, and if you let it, I think could provoke some interesting moments of self-reflection.

It’s been a while since I’ve watched the first three Wallander episodes, so my memory may be hazy, but starting with Faceless Killers it was driven home to me in a fresh way that Wallander is a character so driven to matter, so desperate to run from his inner demons that it may kill him. He’s more than good at his job, he’s brilliant, but he drowns in his work at the expense of the relationships that might just provide a salve for his wounded heart. Wallander’s relationship with his father continues to be strained as Povel’s (David Warner) Alzheimer’s continues to worsen. This ongoing aspect to the series will absolutely break one’s heart. Wallander and his father, an artist, apparently have never been able to see eye-to-eye on much of anything. But it’s obvious that Wallander cares about his father and wants to do the right thing by him, but he’s so emotionally crippled, both personally and professionally, that for every step forward he takes ten steps back (at least!).
And then there’s Wallander’s tumultuous relationship with his daughter, Linda. Branagh and Spark play brilliantly off each other each time they appear on-screen – which, quite frankly, isn’t often enough to suit me. I can’t remember exactly how long Wallander’s been divorced since the series started, but he’s continued to wear his wedding ring. There’s a part of him that refuses to let go of that piece of his past, as if by desperately holding on to the symbol of his now-defunct marriage he can somehow be a better man and father. I have to give the character of Linda a lot of credit for not shutting her father completely out of her life. She’s not always as patient as I’d like to see, given how fractured her dad is, but they both continue to try. Their relationship rather encapsulates a recurring theme of the series – life may continue to knock you down, but never stop trying, because there’s always hope, even though it may be barely a glimmer in the distance.

Between his personal and professional issues, this case brings Wallander to the breaking point. It’s interesting to see how his unraveling affects how his coworkers view and interact with him. The closest thing Wallander has to a friend is Nyberg, played by Richard McCabe. It’s not a huge role, but I love how McCabe really “gets” Wallander, and knows how to ask the right questions, and to keep trying, until he can get his friend to open up. My absolute favorite member of Wallander’s team is Magnus, played by Tom Hiddleston. I fell hard for Hiddleston when he appeared in Return to Cranford, so I was looking forward to his reappearance in Wallander. Magnus is an interesting character – I view him as Wallander’s heir or protégé. He seems to respect Wallander, but he’s not above getting frustrated with his personality and methods. Magnus is one character that I’d definitely like to see more developed in future episodes.

I thought the final scenes of Faceless Killers were superb, and exercise in brilliant acting and staging. The Lovgren case, and the violence that horrific act birthed, brought Wallander to the absolute brink. He thinks he can’t take it anymore, so our brilliant detective walks. What a cliffhanger! It would be a worthy season finale, but since there are two more episodes in this season, I can promise you Wallander’s journey back from the brink of this breakdown is riveting viewing. More to come...

• Read heidenkind's thoughts on Faceless Killers.
• Read Vic's thoughts on Wallander's second series at Jane Austen's World.

Wallander: Sidetracked

Sidetracked, the first episode of the Wallander mysteries starring Kenneth Branagh in the title role premiered on Masterpiece Mystery yesterday. And the verdict is...I really liked it. I don't see it becoming a series I obsess over (big shocker, I know), but the character of Kurt Wallander is shaping up to be an ideal vehicle for Kenneth Branagh's formidable acting talents. Here's the brief summary of last night's show from the PBS website:

As Swedish inspector Kurt Wallander (Kenneth Branagh) watches helplessly, a young girl stands trembling in a rapeseed field, about to do herself great harm. Wallander's work gets under his skin, and this case is no exception. What evil would drive a girl to such desperation? Wallander is soon distracted from this question by a string of grisly murders. A former minister of justice, an art dealer, a wife-beating thug and a playboy have all been scalped. The haunting memory of the girl in the field drives restless Wallander towards the dark secrets and cover up at the center of the story in this adaptation based on the work of international bestseller Henning Mankell.

I'd never even heard of Henning Mankell prior to reading about this show when the Mystery schedule was announced a few months ago. This show is interesting because apparently the Wallander mysteries are something of a Swedish cultural icon...yet this show has a very "British" feel to it, with a twist. The settings are rather Swedish, I suppose, since they are like nothing else I've seen in a contemporary British mystery series. However, though I only recognized two of the actors (Branagh, of course, and David Warner playing Wallander's father, Povel), the entire company drops British colloquialisms on a fairly regular basis. The resulting show is an interesting hybrid of both worlds.

The most interesting part of this show is not the mysteries themselves, of course, but the character of Wallander. Branagh owns this role. His presence absolutely commands attention whenever he's on-screen. I tend to rather enjoy British shows about haunted, tortured detectives (Inspector Lewis, Jericho), but Wallander takes the type to a new high (or low, depending on how you want to describe it). Wallander is a man who is haunted by his work. He's got abysmal manners (I LOVE it when he gets exasperated with the profiler the department calls in as backup!) and is something of a slob, but he's driven to do his job and do it well, no matter the cost to his personal life or well-being. Physically Branagh easily fits the description of a Swedish man (tall and blonde), but it's his face that makes this character really gripping. Every line, every expression, all the pain and urgency Wallander feels are all beautifully expressed on Branagh's face. Branagh is to be commended for the way he brings a lifetime of skill and emotion to the role.

Casting David Warner as Branagh's father was a stroke of genius. These two play so well off each other, and their dysfunctional but loving father/son relationship is beautifully and realistically portrayed. Their scene together at the conclusion of Sidetracked provided a wonderful, emotional punch to the conclusion of the film. I'm looking forward to seeing how this relationship develops in further installments of the show.

Wallander's character fascinates me...I'm looking forward to Firewall next Sunday. So, if you watched Wallander what did you think?

Oh, almost forgot to add...kudos to Martin Phipps for providing a terrific score! It did an excellent job setting the mood & tone of the show.