The City and the City

Dark - as in literally dark, with the majority of the scenes dimly lit (partly for effect, partly, I suspect, to obscure familiar filming locations) - and intriguing police fantasy fiction. Not a total success by any means, the plot is complicated and unclearly communicated and more effort seems to have gone into atmosphere than coherence. The acting wobbles a bit, mostly likely due to the direction than anything else, but concepts of perception, identity and belief are explored in thoughtful ways. It's perhaps overlong for what turns out to be a fairly predictable outcome, but there are plenty of effective scenes rich with real suspense. Requires patience and may reward repeated viewing more than a single go round, but it's an involving and worthwhile drama.

The analogy to our world from the fictional universe of China Mieville's 'The City and the City' is both obviousand exquisite: two cities, one gleaming and prosperous, the other more resembling Geroge Orwell's 1984, occupy the same place; the people survive by of the act of will of seeing only one world. Perhaps disappointingly (and especially given Mieville's own Marxist politics), the political dimension is rather under-developed in this BBC adaptation; and David Morrissey's mumbling monontone hero is a hard character to like. As in the best science fiction, there are many interesting ideas here (especially around the concept of "breaching" the two worlds), but they feel somewhat underdeveloped, and too much of the story comes in flashback form. It made me want to read the book to see if the original made more of its foundation.

While reading The City and the City I remember thinking how it would make an exquisite blockbuster. The CGI was needed not to hide the lack of story, which seems to be the standard for contemporary mainstream, but to enhance it.

Yet we got a TV show. At first I dismissed it, but didn't resist the urge to watch. Eventually I think this is a pretty good TV show.

Obviously, this production can't surpass a blockbuster, but the cohabitation of Beszel and Ul Coma was done in a best possible way with the budget given. As if Eastern Europe of the Cold War with its police state met with the contemporary business districts in the Middle East, tightly controlled by law enforcement and secret service. Sarcastically speaking, the only difference between the two was the appearance.

And what made this TV show even better than the literally template was the ending. In the book it slid towards not particularly convincing fantasy. Here it was done in the only possible way for the given setting, as an anticlimax.

Highly stimulating, engaging and thought provoking - actually had to concentrate to understand what is going on. Definitely not a veg out - have to turn off the computer and watch. Reminded me very much of East Berlin in the 80s. Must read the book.

The confusing opening episode: the weird geography was bound to be disorientating, but the initial flashbacks of the detective's wife appeared, confusingly, to be contemporary.

The interesting journey of the middle two episodes: the teasing possibility of the existence of something mythical.

The disappointing resolution of the fourth and final episode: so this adaptation (if not the source novel itself) is really just a police procedural with a murder investigation that spans a border that's difficult to cross?