SOUTHCLIFFE

"This study of a tragedy in smalltown England is a profound, chilling, moving piece of television." – The Guardian

Life for the residents in the quiet seaside town of Southcliffe is shattered – literally and figuratively – when Stephen Morton, a veteran and the village handyman, begins shooting people at random, killing 15.

Embracing the longer-form freedoms of television, director Sean Durkin (Martha Marcy May Marlene, MIFF 2011) packs every minute of this tightly wound, timely exploration of tragedy, grief, responsibility and redemption with gripping suspense. Across four poetically non-linear episodes, he and writer Tony Grisoni (the Red Riding trilogy, MIFF 2009) visit the perpetrator, his victims and the survivors, subtly constructing a nuanced and disturbingly realistic character study. With exquisite camerawork and sterling performances, including a BAFTA-winning turn by Sean Harris as the killer, Southcliffe is as cinematic as television gets.

"A spellbinding and terrifying piece of television storytelling, Southcliffe ramps things up a notch from recent shows like Broadchurch and The Fall, maintaining an incredible suspense across its four-hour duration." – The Guardian