Tuesday, June 4, 2013

"The Killing" : a custom made role for an exceptional actress



I adore "The Killing",everything about it,the atmosphere,the colours,the music,the camera,the slow building pace.

Unlike the rest of the audience I didn't mind looking for Rosie Larsen's killer for two full seasons,that's how great my love for the series was.So of course I was delighted to read they are coming back,the wonderful  couple Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman.

She has made a great choice and directors made a great choice with her,because the role of Sarah Linden seems such a perfect fit for her.It is a challenging character but she managed to grip all the nuances it required.The deeply troubled woman,the helpless mother,the obsessed cop who sacrifices everything for her job,it is all there in Mireille Enos brilliant performance and it seems effortless.She struggles,she makes terrible mistakes,she keeps stumbling all around and we can't help but cheer for her.She is powerful,touching,tragic and irritating,her face impenetrable,her looks completely subdued to her character.



The woman is relentless and every scene is a walk on the wire,we are holding our breaths contemplating possible disasters on her road.Even her body language is so completely in the character that you simply don't know how does she really look?

Sarah Linden is a mystery,so profoundly uncomfortable with herself and the world and yet so sure of the task that is in front of her.And it is all possible thanks to Mireille Enos's enormous talent and hard work.She is nobody else but Sarah Linden and everything she does is in the perfect function to the character.A brilliant performance,definitely deserving wider recognition.

The rest of the cast in previous season was excellent,Billy Campbell in probably the best  role of his career,all the actors were great and as always,I was amazed how many wonderful children actors can be seen on American tv.


 Joel Kinnaman-Holder  is left in the third season.First of all,I didn't have a clue that he was Swedish,his accent was impeccable.



Kinnaman is absolutely amazing,precise,passionate,at ease with his movements,serious and dedicated.

He keeps digging and digging into his character,seeming absolutely detached and then transforming himself into an emotional wreck swiftly.Nothing in his acting is random,nothing is exaggerated.He is an excellent partner to Enos,never overwhelmed by her powerful performance.Their union is the union of two opposing equals.


So congratulations to casting directors and directors of this brilliant drama and good luck to the wonderful acting couple!



Update: after the brilliant third season and exceptional new cast members,the AMC or whoever decided to kill "The Killing" AGAIN??????????Will someone finally stop ruining great projects while some idiotic shows are going on for 10 seasons?I am furious with people who can't recognize true quality and award the effort of a marvelous team.Of course the ratings are important but "The Killing" was the best drama this season  and it deserves a better treatment.I hope some other channel will take over and congratulations to all the cast and crew,especially to brilliant casting directors Libby Goldstein,June Lowry Johnson,Corinne Clark and Jennifer Page on extraordinary work.

A really long due update: Netflix has picked up this extraordinary drama,after a relentless fan campaign.We are all impatient and happy to see our beloved Linden and Holder coming back.Thank You Netflix!And even more,thanks to all the devoted fans of this criminally underrated drama.

Update:There is a lot to be thankful about the 4th season of the show.Another ambiguous subject,another important and cruel story to tell.Another perfect but tragically short season even though Linden and Holder and the desperately rainy Seattle could have lasted for many more seasons.

The final season gave Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman even more chance to shine and they took it with a vengeance,showing how little special effects,car crashes or autopsy reports are needed when two brilliant actors take the scene.They were heartbreakingly good,desperate,ruined and reborn.The creators of the show should be very proud of their work,all cast and crew were perfect but Enos and Kinnaman were pure magic.

So it hurts even more to see them go and it hurts to see how Emmys keep snubbing exceptional television creators year after year.Fortunately there are people out there in the vasteland of tv public who were smart enough to recognize the value of "The Killing" and brave enough to fight for their favourite show.



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