Crá

Having seen just about every Nordic, Welsh, Scottish noir type murder mystery series out there, I was really excited to see this Irish offering.

I had a hard time at first trying to place the series politically- was it taking place in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland? I needed to look it up on google maps - if it takes place in Donegal, then it's the Republic but right next to Northern Ireland.

Basic requirements of the genre are met - scenery was suitably bleak, people insular and non communicative, lazy provincial police work, speaking in native language.

I watched it all in one sitting but the acting of the old man playing the father, the 3 police officers (from the town, not the hamlet) and that Janine butcher lookalike who played the reporter was so bad I thought I'd have to switch it off.

The main actor was very good and his expressive glare spoke volumes about his current state of mind.

Crá (Torment) is an intriguing gripping atmospheric crime drama.

Set in the dramatic rugged wild Atlantic comes a story of murder, deceit and redemption helmed by talented bunch of writers and an equally talented cast and crew.

Where this show triumphs over other standard fodder is the world building aided by the fantastic music and cinematography.

Trying to keep this spoiler free. The story moves at a steady and assured pace giving the required nuggets of information so that we the audience and the main characters are discovering the story together.

I'd highly recommend this show and it's available worldwide on TG4 website.

Only six forty-five minute episodes, so it is easy to watch.

It kept me interested, kept me guessing until the end.

The acting seems somewhat wooden at times. Direction is zippy enough.

The series would have worked just as well had the dialogue been in English, although sub-titles would probably still be needed for many to understand the accents.

The plot is somewhat laboured, with a somewhat improbable end that I did not guess, although there are faint clues.

The bleak scenic coastline and langscapes of Donegal adds atmosphere and interest.

The wardrobe budget must have been small, the Dónall Ó Héalai gets a single pair of trousers! But he goes get some lovely wool sweaters :-)

But there was so much wrong with the dialogue, the miscasting, the endless red herrings and misbehaving cops who would have been fired in any other police force.

Cop shows like these need to be believable.

Now I am Irish by birth and I positively adore movies when they're in Gaeilge.

But there were so many tropes in this I lost track. The rogue cop. Endless staring at oceans and waves, finding others on beaches and houses when you need them, cops missing major clues (cell phone, laptop) the saucy irritating young reporter with seedy access to everything the cops missed.

The scenery was stunning though.

But the ending was cringe worthy, a total disasterama.

What an absolute waste of time for this incredulous viewer.

4/0 Acorn.

Cra aka Boglands was one of the shows that I wanted to watch for a while, and finally I was able to see it. I must say that it was fascinating to watch a TV show in the Gaelic language, and I enjoyed it. At the same time, it was great to see the Irish landscape and the beauty of the shores. Although the show starts well with the discovery of a woman's body who was missing for about 15 years, the show gets quite boring after the 4th episode. I wish there were no plot holes and that the acting were a bit better. I did not like the acting of Dónall Ó Héalai, and I must say that his performance was really poor. I give 6 out of 10 for this series.