Watching The Cry, the hit BBC drama coming to Australia via ABC this week, is like being trapped in a stressful yet captivating dream.
While the story is playing out on screen you cannot help but be completely immersed in what’s happening around you, despite the fact your world seems to be tilting and your heart is beating a little too fast for comfort.
Check out the trailer for The Cry below. Post continues after video.
This captivating four-part psychological thriller is based on the novel of the same name by Helen FitzGerald, and stars a wealth of international and Australian talent in a story-line that weaves hectically through the past and the present while also bringing to life every parent’s worst nightmare.
The Cry kicks off when Joanna (played by Jenna Coleman) and Alistair (played by Ewen Leslie) leave Scotland with their baby son Noah to visit Australia to see Alistair’s mother, Elizabeth (played by Stella Gonet). They are also there to fight for custody of Alistair’s daughter Chloe (played by Markella Kavenagh) against his Australian ex-wife Alexandra (played by Asher Keddie).
The situation is tense from the start as Joanna is struggling with new motherhood, alone at home with a screaming baby while her older, very controlling husband Alistair is at work.
The pair began their relationship via an affair (orchestrated by Alistair and unknown to Joanna at the time) that saw Alexandra walk in on them in bed, causing her to sneak Chloe back to Australia without Alistair’s knowledge. This visit taking place many years later is the first time they will all face each other since that day.
However, once they arrive in the small Australian town for the visit, baby Noah mysteriously disappears from the back of their rental car, a situation which triggers Joanna’s psychological breakdown. The couple then face the glare of global media speculation and judgement, which changes both Joanna and her marriage forever.
The Cry has already been a hit overseas, with over six million people tuning in to watch the series when it premiered on BBC One last year. It then went on to notch up a staggering 10 million plus plays via BBCs i-player and has gone on to enjoy international critical acclaim.
If you enjoy a well-crafted mystery that will truly keep you on your toes, then The Cry is compulsory viewing for you. Each episode ends with a jaw-dropping twist you would not have seen coming and your loyalties to different characters can change in an instant as the story twists and turns to a satisfying conclusion.
And if you feel strangely immersed in the series, sometimes even to the point of claustrophobia, that’s because the show was actually filmed using single camera set-ups to enhance the feeling of intimacy for the viewer.
The Cry is certainly our first unmissable TV show for 2019, and anyone watching it is in for a wild ride.
All four episodes of The Cry are available to binge on ABC iview now.
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