2021 Show
Ed Sinclair · United Kingdom · English
A true crime drama that dares to break the fourth wall with imaginative and romantic flair
In Landscapers, what could’ve been a tedious story based on yet another true-crime affair is transformed into a fantastic fable that challenges and reimagines truth in imaginative ways. It’s more like a play than anything, complete with revolving sets, multicolor lights, and the occasional breaking of the fourth wall. But when it’s not staged like a theater show, then it has fun experimenting with form and genre. The series is masterfully edited to blend reality with the cinema Susan and Cristopher love so much, so sometimes they’re in soft-focus black and white, other times they’re in technicolor flair. It’s a technical wonder, but thanks to Colman and Thewlis’ performances, it’s also a twisted love story and an emotional roller coaster.
A seemingly ordinary British couple become the focus of an extraordinary investigation when two dead bodies are discovered in the back garden of a house in Nottingham.
"There's a devastating tension to Thewlis's seamless switching between the mild-mannered, attenuated husband and the Gary Cooper surrogate of Susan's dreams. The"
— Doreen St. Felix
"A more experimental and playful piece of work than a traditional true crime drama, centering two phenomenal performances in a project that almost deconstructs the concept of narrative as much as serve as an explainer for murderers."
— Brian Tallerico
Based on real events, Landscapers tells the story of Susan and Cristopher Edwards (Olivia Colman and David Thewlis), a seemingly ordinary couple accused of murdering Susan’s elderly parents.
The play-like setup is inventive and imaginative, a rarity in this genre. Sometimes it risks over-romanticizing a horrifying affair, but it also leaves enough room for the audience to make their own judgments on the case.
Nothing like a delusional cinephile to make you question what’s real and what’s not.
Renee Cuisia is the lead curator at A Good Movie to Watch. In her spare time, she likes to watch K-dramas and analyze them to death. She's also seen You've Got Mail one too many times but is still convinced it's one of the greatest films out there.
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