Exile

A variation on the (un)rewarding theme of father/son. Here a prodigal son (Simm in another of his variations on a nice-guy pretty-boy who’s just asking for a punch), completely broke, returns to the small town of his birth after years away in the big world to visit his sister and once despotic father who broke up their happy family. Today the father (the award-winning Jim Broadbent) is completely unbothered, because “that German who keeps on hiding things and souvenirs" has moved into his head permanently. Thus far, it is a raw drama with no frills, with excellent acting and is a gem from all points of view. But what holds it back is the artificially drawn out storyline about “revealing the dark past" which takes up about as much time as the dramatic parts, but unlike them has nothing to offer; doubly so when the “punchline" is given away to the viewer already at the end of episode two (of three), but the characters don’t find out until the end of the final episode. (16.01.2012)