Until I Kill You
Anna Maxwell Martin plays an Australian born woman who became a victim of domestic violence in a 4 part true life drama.
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under Reviews, Top Stories
Anna Maxwell Martin is always an interesting performer, whether in Line of Duty, The Bletchley Circle, Accused or her many other British dramas.
In her latest, Until I Kill You, she may not be particularly likeable, but it’s a compelling performance which is the reason to otherwise watch a true life show about domestic violence leading to attempted murder.
Delia Balmer (Anna Maxwell Martin) is Australian born, though you’d never know it from meeting her. She spent much of her adult life travelling, living in Canada and settling in London. When we meet her in 1991 she is a public hospital nurse, a loner save for a benevolent workmate Leah (Amanda Wilkin). She doesn’t make friends easily, speaks without a filter and lives in a spartan, bohemian apartment so that she can upend roots and travel like the free spirit that she is.
“I don’t really know where I feel I belong ” – Delia
When she meets carpenter John (Shaun Evans) in a bar one night, she invites him back to her pad. While it looks like two odd cats have connected on common ground, the viewer is already privy to the deception in John. But the time lapses which extend their relationship to over 12 months means he is either genuinely into her, or playing the long game.
Concurrently with their blossoming connection is a subplot based in Amsterdam where a father is searching for his missing daughter. It doesn’t take long for the viewer to piece together this jigsaw, it’s just how the parts fit that need resolution.
But the fact that this 4 x 60 series is based on a book by Delia Balmer signposts that somehow through whatever shitshow is coming, she managed to survive it all. And trust me, it is a shitshow.
As the series unravels over several years it will involve violence, policing, trials, hospitals, rehabilitation and wholesale failures in the system.
Delia remains an abrasive, short-tempered central character who makes a confronting 4 hours even more challenging. But it also sets it apart from dramas where the victim is readily sympathetic.
The series also features Kevin Doyle from Downton Abbey as a mild-mannered driver who befriends Delia in a fragile new relationship which tests her ability to trust again. Who can blame her?
Anna Maxwell Martin is suitably savage, bitter, dispassionate, socially awkward (and frankly I couldn’t detect any Canadian accent even though the characters could), but if it’s all true to the real Delia Balmer then it’s a study in character for any aspiring actor.
Shaun Evans gets the villain role and one which, by all accounts, was fairly inept.. making mistakes which left authorities in little doubt as to his part in these most unpleasant proceedings.
With its frank title, Until I Kill You isn’t exactly an entertaining way to spend two nights (it screens in double episodes) but Anna Maxwell Martin is at least commanding in her portrayal. And it reminds us that nobody is deserving of such treatment, whether warm and sympathetic or caustic and detached.
Until I Kill You 8:30pm Sunday on ABC (all episodes on ABC iview)
Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia.
Lifeline 13 11 14
Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36
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7 Responses
This is indeed very grim viewing. Not just the subject matter but also the unrelenting personality of the main character. Even so it’s completely compelling, due in no small part to the performances of the 2 leads, AMM particularly. The continued references to the main character’s “American accent” were quite odd, given to the viewer it was largely undetectable.
There is a 2 part documentary Until I Kill You…The Real Story (also listed on IMDb 2024) approx. 30 minutes with Delia Balmer narrated by Anna Maxwell Martin and featuring the criminologist David Wilson, David Balmer (Delia’s brother) including the detectives etc and clips from the series..on YouTube.
In the UK, Shaun Evans is best known for his long run in Endeavour, so it was interesting to see him play a role on the other side of the law, and using his real-life accent.
On the subject of accents, in her portrayal of Delia Balmer Anna Maxwell-Martin appeared to adopt something more akin to a British West Country accent than Canadian which wasn’t entirely convincing.
Yeah, good review, David. It’s a tricky one to explain at times and definitely tough to rate as well. I think I’d come in at 3.5 also. Apparently, Balmer was/is an eccentric loner in real life, so AMM wanted to play the role true to that, even if meant viewers would not necessarily fully sympathise with the character in the usual way for such a series.
@Neil – and everyone else – I’d recommend the 3 season comedy Code 404, which has 3 tremendous actors having fun in Stephen Graham, Daniel Mays & AMM (not to mention Richard Gadd & Rosie Cavaliero in fine form). AMM once more plays the role relatively straight there as well, but it’s a little more “normal” than usual. At the very least, she’s very much typecast in the roles she plays.
I have already watched it and you described it accurately – a tough watch due to the raw and unfiltered role played by Anna Maxwell Martin, but also compelling.
I was originally drawn to the show because I re-watched Line of Duty over the Xmas break and the character she played was similarly devoid of any emotion and I wanted to see if she could play a “different” role. Do you know if she is on the spectrum or whether she is very good / adept at playing these types of roles which she seems to be drawn towards. I haven’t seen her in any other shows.
As a person who has more recently grown tired of British TV, this is one I can recommend, even if it is tough viewing.
I don’t. But my hunch is skill level given she has attained this level of principal roles.
What is with the trend nowadays of people being…”on the spectrum “…I find it insulting when people make that assumption. If a person is good playing a particular role it is usually because they have honed their craft and are good at what they do regardless of the character they play…and that applies to Micheal Theo in Austin because even though his on “the spectrum” he is honing his skills as an actor. Ageism is another problem with some critic too.