The Troubles, as the war of supremacy between the Protestant Irish and the Catholic Irish in North Ireland was called, has been a hotbed of extreme creativity in cinema and its various avatars generations after the conflict was over.
In Say Nothing, a nine-part series of confounding authenticity, the makers subsume the disruptive activities of characters from the Irish Republican Army in concentrated bunches, focussing on particular characters while preserving a tight hold over the larger socio-historic perspectives.
This is a remarkable achievement, bringing both the drama and history of the theme into one line of vision. At the same time, it must be said that keeping track of all the characters sprawling into nine episodes is a daunting task, as they are often played by two different actors, none of whom are known to us.
Authenticity can be quite a benign bitch. This series proves it. While I struggled to keep track of the characters, the two who emerged as central were the militant Dolours Price (Lola Petticrew) and her quiet sister Marian Price (Hazel Doupe). The series follows their rise as prominent members of the Irish Republican Army. Yes, the Sisters are doing it, and not for themselves.
The tale, well-told, kicks off with the arrest of a suspected British sympathizer, Jean McConville (Judith Roddy), in Belfast. The way the masked men are shown to barge into the lady’s home and whisked away is bone-chilling and symptomatic of the uncertainties during times of political turmoil.
There are several other such numbing interludes scattered throughout the tense storytelling. But what remains with us is the dense leaden atmosphere of strife and conflict where anything can happen. The locations, the outburst of violence are irreproachably authentic. With its profusion of fiercely pro-militancy characters and frequent eruptions of political violence, Say Nothing is likely to be a bit of a bewildering watch. At the same time, its political ramifications, the danger of being subjugated by a stronger, bigger power, remains relevant to this day.
You may not be able to fully follow the thick Irish accents. But you know exactly what they are saying.
