FRIDAY 08 SEPTEMBER
Drama
Aftersun
9:00pm - 10:00pm
BBC1 London & South East
VIDEO Plus+: 4601
Subtitles, widescreen
Written by David Nicholls
Jim and Sue are a bored middle-aged couple locked in a stale marriage. Thrown into enforced companionship for two weeks in a Spanish villa (a holiday bought as an anniversary present by their children), their relationship can't bear the strain and starts to fall apart, particularly when they befriend a younger, sexy couple staying next door. Now, Aftersun is billed as a comedy drama, which always means "not much of either". So there are some laughs - though not enough - and some dramatic moments, though again not enough to make this any more than a nice, end-of-the-week confection. But Aftersun is lifted out of the mundane by its two leads: Peter Capaldi and, particularly, Sarah Parish, who is magnificent and funny as the disappointed, unhappy Sue. She's a good woman who's desperate to save her marriage to a man whose primary interests are his constantly chirping mobile phone and his MDF distribution business.
RT reviewer: Alison Graham
Sue - Sarah Parish
Jim - Peter Capaldi
Esther - Anna Madeley
Felipe - Juan Pablo Di Pace
Stuart - Steven Webb
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