Small Screen Scenes: BBC Home Entertainment's Top of the Lake Recommended by Whom You Know Our Coverage Sponsored by Stribling and Associates
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BBC Home Entertainment has a long history of providing viewers with top-notch entertainment, and with Top of the Lake, they have yet another winner on their hands. This slow-burning mystery set in New Zealand originally aired as a seven-part miniseries, and begins with a 12-year-old girl, Tui Mitcham (Jacqueline Joe) attempting to kill herself in a freezing lake. She is not successful, and it is soon discovered that she is five months pregnant, although she refuses to say who the father is. Detective Robin Griffin (Elisabeth Moss), who is in town from Australia visiting her ailing mother, is a specialist in child endangerment cases, and is asked to assist. She questions Tui, and the two appear to form a bond, but shortly after this, Tui disappears. Robin is drawn ever deeper into the investigation of Tui's disappearance, and throughout the course of the investigation, she is forced to confront the demons of her own past, as well as all of the dark secrets lurking beneath the surface in this small town. Disturbing memories are brought to life, and Robin must do her best to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding Tui, but in doing so, must also face painful memories of her own that she has long kept buried. Written by Jane Campion and Gerard Lee, Top of the Lake is intriguing, disturbing, and immensely captivating. Stellar performances are turned in by all cast members, most notably Moss, who handily proves that her skills extend far beyond the perky and sassy Mad Men character that she is known for. Highly recommended by this panelist!
Another fantastic original series from BBC! Top of the Lake engages you from the very first moments when a pregnant twelve-year-old girl tries to commit suicide. The young girl then disappears, without a trace. Set in a small and remote town in picturesque New Zealand, the location comes across as both small-town-quaint and eerie at the same time. This mystery series has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing throughout. There is no shortage of suspicious and even loathsome characters in this twisting and turning series. In addition to the loathsome characters, there are more than a few wacky ones upon whom to cast your eye as well. You’ll suspect just about everyone… even some of the “good guys” at some point. Despite having your suspicions about everyone in one way or another, you will not expect the ending! Top of the Lake is mysterious, engaging and beautiful… a really great watch!
The lake has its legend, and New Zealand as a backdrop becomes a forceful character in the story. In the midst of mist and landscape, Elizabeth Moss plays a detective in an outpost at the "Top of the Lake" investigating the case of a 12 year old child gone missing. With Jane Champion at the helm as writer, director and producer, it becomes a many layered complex tale about finding oneself. For those unfamiliar with her name, Ms. Campion is the first female winner of the Palme d'Or for The Piano in 1993. With her background in anthropology, arts and film, her work brings to bear intensity and moments where human frailty reigns as the undertow. Top of the Lake, brought to us by BBC Home Entertainment leads us through this convoluted tale with wistfulness and edgy mystery. A little bit of David Lynch creeps in from time to time, and the sum of its parts emerges miraculous. Divided into a 6 part series, with two discs in the set, feel free to watch a bit of it at a time, since you'll need time to absorb and digest. Thoughtful in its approach to a multitude of sins, and relentless in the character of Ms. Moss, there is no one solution. Holly Hunter plays a definite guru role, as she cuts each problem to the quick with a deft barb, never proselytizing always leaving us with something to sip our tea with. As the waterways of New Zealand ebb and flow, and the land creates a majestic all encompassing canvas to the drama, the characters find their way through an eerie series of twists in the plot. There is a morale to each of the stories included, and resolution will out in the end. Ms. Campion has crafted a haunting, poetic script and she has directed it with intensity. This is not a pretty little tale of joy and rapture. It is a thinking man's (or woman's) drama, presented in a way that leaves a thread of the chase, the drama, and above all, a case for human drama.
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Elizabeth Moss (Mad Men) and Holly Hunter (Saving Grace, The Incredibles) star in this critically acclaimed, Emmy®-winning mini-series written and directed by Academy Award®- winner Jane Campion (The Piano). Set against the stunning, untouched backdrop of New Zealand, Moss plays Robin Griffin, a gutsy but inexperienced detective called in to investigate the disappearance of a pregnant 12-year-old girl named Tui. As she becomes more and more obsessed with the search for Tui, Robin slowly begins to realize that finding her is tantamount to finding herself – a self she has kept well-hidden.
