British three-episode mini-series, an adaptation of the novel Penance, written by Kate O'Riordan, who also wrote the script for this television adaptation.
What is the plot of Penitence?
The Douglas family, Rosalie and Luke, wait with their 16-year-old daughter Maddie for Rob, their son, to arrive in Thailand. But the tragedy is present, the police go to the house to warn that the young man died by drowning on the trip. This tragic event affects the whole family. Two months later, at a therapy meeting among people who have lost family members, they meet Jed Cousins, a handsome young man who lost his grandmother. The boy will begin a relationship with Maddie, but has other goals in his plans. Rosalie will fall into the trap and be seduced by the mysterious young man.
The loss of a son is something horrible, with that tragedy begins the story that Penitence tells us. A perfect family, that because of that accident of destiny, their whole world began to fall apart.
It is in the midst of attempts to overcome the trauma that a predator, a frequent visitor to meetings where people express their pain and grief, selected the Douglas family as the new victims.
Jed's character is aware that his physical attributes are irresistible, especially to older women. Everything he does, involving himself first with the 16-year-old daughter, is really manipulation. His real target is Rosalía, the 50-year-old woman who is trying to overcome the pain of losing her son and who finds herself in the middle of a separation from her husband.
The story is totally fictional, but I can assure you that these people exist. I have known unscrupulous men, especially in my youth, who would approach older women for financial gain. Some would settle for something quick, money, clothes, etc. But I met others who had more ambitious plans and became official partners, until they took all the economic benefit they could and abandoned them.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NASiW0Nelno/X3f6MMpTgQI/AAAAAAAAfw8/NMOBWPiZ4K4E4rtYpYe2YdqZkCWPucoVgCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/2020-10-03%2Bat%2B00.00.00.jpgSource
I saw the mini-series because it was only a few episodes, but I recommend it to fans of this type of drama. The whole love conflict between Rosalie and Jed, her daughter's boyfriend, made me feel like I was watching a Latin American soap opera. The performance of the lead actress, who does a great job, kept me in touch with the resolution of the story.
Kate O'Riordan is an Irish writer whose first novel was well received with success, and was shortlisted for a literary award. The novel was called Involved and was published in 1995. Involved was adapted for television, and the author has a large following for her books. Her second novel, The Boy on the Moon, published in 1997, was also well received by the public, being a best-seller and receiving some important awards.
Penance has been her latest success and the same writer has been in charge of writing the script of this adaptation of the novel, in mini-series format. The respect for the original work is supported by the author of the story herself.
All three episodes have been directed by Maurice Sweeney. This audiovisual professional has experience in British television. In 2016 he directed the miniseries "The Trial of the Century". Another one he also directed, was the mini-series Blood. His work in Penance did not impact me, it seems to me a too flat direction, where he does not take any risks and there are no signs of his own style.
The most important character in the mini-series is Rosalie Douglas, who is played by the actress Julie Graham, giving a powerful performance of a woman torn apart by the loss of her son, and who at her age, with a broken marriage, will be tempted by the desire of the flesh, feeling wanted by that young and handsome boy. Many women who have succumbed to the temptation will identify with it and understand how an intelligent woman like Rosalie can be deceived in this way.
The actor Nico Mirallegro, well known in England for his work in several popular series, plays Jed, the young seducer, who seems like a good person, but whose life is a total lie. In reality he is the great villain of the story, with a deranged mind and hidden interests. He will use his charm and his body to enter the heart of the Douglas family and become their worst nightmare.
Neil Morrissey, Tallulah Greive , Art Malik and Wanda Ventham are the other acts that complete the cast of the mini-series, all of them actors known in British television for being faces that appear in several television series.
Penance has not lived up to my expectations. I think it is a British production with a production design very close to that of a soap opera. The positive thing is that it is only three episodes, you can watch everything at once, as if it were a movie.
The mini-series is available on the DirectvGo streaming platform
My Ranking: 2.8/5
Trailer
POSTER
