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Marriage

Two superb actors in Sean Bean and Nicole Walker bring to life the ordinariness of a long term relationship in all its beauty and foibles.

Marriage is quite an extraordinary work.

It’s a study of a middle-aged couple in extreme levels of ordinariness.

But writer / director Stefan Golaszewski (Mum, Him & Her) also tells his story in between the cracks, in small moments of everyday negotiation and compromise.

There’s no inciting incident -to the contrary it begins over an argument about jacket potatoes as Ian (Sean Bean) and Emma (Nicola Walker) conclude their holiday. An inordinate amount of screen time is given over to a discussion about potatoes as we establish this lower middle-class couple in their 50s.

Ian has been made redundant and yet to find his new purpose in life. Emma has an office job with condescending workmates, but seeks to free herself from the weight of those around her.

Both are parents to Jessica (Chantelle Alle) a black daughter they adopted as a baby, who is bringing home her new boyfriend Adam (Jack Holden). There are hints of an earlier tragedy for the couple.

Ian is becoming a bit of a dinosaur in his own world, and struggles to connect with his daughter without saying the wrong thing.

Emma is also resented by her ageing father (James Bolam) who snaps, “How can you honestly ask me if I’ve had a good time when it was you who abandoned me?”

Ouch.

A number of scenes are shot in wide lens, as Golaszewski highlights lone figures in vast spaces. But they are full of truth, such as characters stopping to pick up rubbish and put it in a bin -who does that on TV?

Scenes often feel inconsequential, as moments in time juxtaposed with one another, yet the sum of the parts makes for a satisfying whole.

The performances of Sean Bean and Nicole Walker and beautifully underplayed to the point of feeling improvised (I suspect it’s fully scripted). At times I was reminded of the naturalistic work of Mike Leigh in pieces such as Secrets & Lies.

One scene with Ian attending a local gym and chatting to a receptionist brilliantly captures a collision of worlds and intent, where old ways are misconstrued by new ways. They highlight Ian’s diminishing purpose and understanding in a constantly-evolving modern society.

For some this will feel like a story waiting to happen. Or what a drama might look like if cameras followed Goggleboxers away from the couch -pretty ordinary. Shopping. Waiting in a queue. Packing the dishwasher. Brushing teeth.

Yet Marriage also brings attention to how two humans connect and depend on one another, celebrating true love in a dichotomy with true frustration / fear / boredom.

And you get to study two superb actors creating a three dimensional dynamic that could be as real as your own parents.

Marriage screens 8:30pm Saturday on ABC.

12 Responses

  1. I agree that both actors are excellent so I was really looking forward to this series but the storyline is very laboured & slow. Furthermore, a lot of the time it is difficult to understand what they’re saying & there’s absolutely nothing wrong with my hearing.

  2. Yes the acting is good, and they allow the audience to put the story together from what is subtley revealed, but it’s a fairly straightforward story. Next week I’ll be watching The Good Fight.

  3. Will be interesting to see this. Some of the reviews from the UK says it is fabulous especially for the cast but it is not just a slow burn it is a really really really slow burn.

  4. Really looking forward to this. And thank you ABC for airing so soon after the UK! Thank you for your review David, as always these two wonderful actors do not disappoint.

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