Hinterland (Y Gwyll) [DVD] [2013]

By my title I mean to say that other than the sheer quality -- five stars -- this in no way reminded me of the faster storytelling of Nordic Noir, much though I love that as well. Much of Nordic Noir moves more quickly and in that sense is more exciting and upbeat, whereas this is, yes, more pensive and melancholy, but that never meant it depressed US; to the contrary. What this very much did remind me of is Vera and Shetland, as another reviewer said. For myself, I do not find the plots in Vera hard to follow nor did I find these hard, although they are complex. And, in a way that seems eminently suitable for mysteries set in somewhat rural Wales, the complexity derives partly from the fact that present day crimes turn out to be inextricably woven out of past injustices and relationships. I liked that a lot, although my husband (who loves Vera) found it confusing. However -- and I see that there is already a thread on this issue -- his real difficulty was with the lack of subtitles in English. Our problem is not with hearing per se; it is that we are American, and when ordering DVDs from the UK, which I frequently do, I need to take care that the locale does not drift too far toward Scotland or Ireland without subtitles being provided. In this case I too was misled by an Amazon mention of subtitles, and if there is actually a version of Hinterland which is all in Welsh with English subtitles I shall try to hunt it up for series 2. In truth this issue was worse for my husband than for me because I seem to have an ability to adapt to accented English which he does not. After the first episode he was almost weeping with frustration because it was so beautiful to watch, yet he had understood so little of the lilting dialogue -- and has not wanted to keep interrupting my pleasure to ask for help. After I said I would be happy to translate virtually everything for him, he found it easier, but still something of a struggle. So if there is a series 2, as I dearly hope there is, I would BEG them to add subtitles even if they are the somewhat unsightly ones provided for the hearing impaired!

Hinterland is an excellent series, made with care and quality. Beautiful cinematography- the landscape is almost a character in itself. I found the wild and remote countryside captivating, and as one reviewer pointed out, although the locale may not be that removed, as part of the stories, it is perfect. The writing and plots were haunting to me- they stayed with me, especially the first episode. The Welsh language is so beautiful, that I've ordered the series in the Welsh version as well.The acting is excellent-Richard Harrington brings something special to the portrayal of a policeman who is troubled by the horrific crimes he sees, and wears his feelings on his sleave. The way he reaches over to a distraught suspect during an interrogation and touches his arm, or tackles a grieving and angry father, but then holds him a moment is something I've never quite seen in a crime show from a policeman. The viewer feels his character has an empathy based on his own life experiences, and I am looking forward to learning more about Mathias's past. Supporting actors are also very good, and we see glimpses of the private life of the female colleague, played by Mali Harries. I hope viewers will learn more about her character in series two. She deftly plays a policewoman who has been passed over for promotion(perhaps) but is very much a team player. The Welsh actors involved in supporting roles are so good, so " of the place" I found myself forgetting that I was watching actors at work .I can't believe that some reviewers thought the plots were slow or the acting wooden. I was on the edge of my seat with all the stories- they are suspenseful and well written. Hinterland is a unique show that doesn't' look away from how ordinary people commit extraordinary crimes, and how an ordinary DCI is actually quite special in his empathy and pathos.

... then look no further! I note all the 5-star reviews and admittedly it deserves them if what you want is to curl up with some undemanding, formulaic crime of a dark evening. That's to say, it's not bad: the acting is fine, and the cinematography makes Wales look wild and remote (road ribbons through hills and heath etc.) or a bit seedy (seaside towns), but beyond that all I saw was yet another crime drama with a small group of cops solving murders, using its location as an 'extra' to set the tone. 'Single-Handed' and 'Shetland' are similarly set in rugged backwaters where the only things between you and your neighbour are likely to be several miles and an electrified fence. The difference for me was that the Shetland Isles and Connemara really are quite remote, whereas Aberystwyth... isn't. Yes there's some decent countryside roundabout, but you're not really that far from civilisation. The stories so far, broadly speaking, concern abuse in a children's home, an old feud between farmers and an odd love-triangle, and while they're solid enough, they're fairly slow until overblown climaxes.Richard Harrington and Mali Harries are both veterans of British TV and very watchable, but I don't think either have cracked a single smile after 3 episodes. Harrington in particular seems to spend most of his time running along aforementioned lonely roads, glaring at the walls of his caravan or being terse to his colleauges. We've so far found out little about him beyond the fact that his wife in London has barred him from seeing their children. It's okay, but I'm surprised at the rave reviews.One practical point: the lilting Welsh is easy on the ear, but the subtitles on the televised version were tiny, so I hope this is fixed for the DVD release.