Recently widowed naturalist Cora (Claire Danes) is intrigued by rumors of a mythical snake in Essex: an unknown beast allegedly preying on locals. So, taking her husband from the heroine, fate gives her a new goal – to deal with the myth of the snake, from a scientific point of view: either a monster, or a strange reptile, or just fiction.
Cora goes to the small village of Aldwinter in Essex with her son and girlfriend. There he meets not only local believers, but also handsome pastor William Ransome (Tom Hiddleston), a thoughtful cleric who fears that the fear of an unknown monster will force their hearts into faith in God. Together, Cora and William try to unravel the mystery of the mysterious snake, battling not only a shared fear, but also personal temptations.
Still from the TV series “The Snake in Essex” (2022)
Saw Films
In addition to the Danes and Hiddleston mentioned earlier, the stars of Harry Potter play key roles in the series: Clemence Poesy (Fleur Delacour in the movie adaptation of JK Rowling) and Frank Dillane (young Voldemort).
In the series, Poesy took on the role of the priest’s wife – the quiet and caring Stella (whose image seems to have been deleted from Melanie Hamilton from Gone with the Wind). Long gone, Dillane vividly portrayed a London heart surgeon obsessed with two things: her profession and Cora. Dillane’s character is a rogue character, somewhat strange, sometimes obscure, but absolutely fascinating.
For example, the protagonist, accustomed to using a scalpel in cold blood, but whose words are not fluent, accompanies Cora to Essex, when he unexpectedly reveals his feelings to the widow – giving a piece of mummified human heart. Here’s a very nice (and apparently pretty mundane for Victorian England) way to bring out your feelings. This frontal gesture of the medical hero is also important from an artistic point of view – so we know there will be a lot of truth in a story built around myth.
Still from the TV series “The Snake in Essex” (2022)
Saw Films
Both Sarah Perry’s novel and the TV series Clio Barnard (who won the Cannes Film Festival for the drama The Selfish Giant) are built entirely on this dichotomy. Here, the vast gray marshes of Essex contrast with the bright burgundy walls of Cora’s home, where a man recently died but still very much alive. Here, the Danish hero’s sensuality clashes at times with the restraint of the character of Hiddleston, a man whose profession is based on the idea of rejecting worldly passions in the name of service to the divine. Here the story of a mystical beast is intertwined with the search for a scientific explanation – did a snake exist, and if it really did, what exactly does it symbolize?
The division of history into expectation and reality turned many of the novel’s readers against it: many accused it of being long and eventful. And the story itself, which was advertised as a thrilling detective story, wasn’t all that fascinating or intriguing, focusing on completely different layers of the plot.
Still from the TV series “The Snake in Essex” (2022)
Saw Films
The same rule applies in the TV series Clio Barnard, who managed to find the key to the story, where the snake is of course the Serpent-tempter and Essex is a kind of Paradise. By the way, while the characters resisted their temptations (or not), the director of the project was able to avoid the main temptation in such cases – he refused to vocalize with explanations of the thoughts of the characters. This would be detrimental to the plot, where understatement and mystery are key ingredients. Although “The Snake in Essex” is a mystical thriller or detective story, it’s only in last place.
Yes, he successfully flirts with these genres, as he successfully pretends to be a pseudo-historical novel (also absolutely naive and convincing), but his main goal is not to seek out the ghostly beast of the inhabitants of Oldwinter. very obsessive, but to seek answers about the nature of fear.
Still from the TV series “The Snake in Essex” (2022)
Saw Films
This project is about how a person is afraid of what he does not know: inside or outside himself. How can a person accumulate fantastic theories and complex myths, refusing to understand the primitive tasks of earthly life. Fascinated by its beauty and mystery, it’s about how we often escape into the dream world, not realizing the high price we pay for our escape.
In this sense, the series becomes an artistically clearer and more beautiful retelling of Perry’s novel, in which many have been stifled, deceived in their expectations. Barnard’s project avoids stretching it by squeezing it into six detailed chapters – just enough to fall in love with the characters, plunge into the abyss of their passions with them, and come back alive and unharmed. Because this time the terrible snake passed us by.
Still from the TV series “The Snake in Essex” (2022)
Saw Films
Source: Gazeta
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.