Apple Tree Yard - BluRay Review

Apple Tree Yard (Arrow Films DVD FCD1418 BluRay FCD1426)

This psychological thriller, recently shown on BBC television and attracting some controversy, is now available on disc or download to own.

The storyline is routine enough; an eminent geneticist, Yvonne Carmichael (Emily Watson), has a chance amorous encounter with an exciting stranger Mark Costley (Ben Chaplin), the consequences of which are far reaching and completely disastrous for her. The opening shots waste no time in showing Yvonne being driven to Court, to face the grave charge of murder. The elements of a standard courtroom drama are all present and correct, and the ancient device of tracing the consequences back to the possible causes is wheeled out once more.

We learn that Yvonne’s life as lecturing academic is high-level, well paid and absorbing, in the early scene of her addressing a group of M.P.’s in the House of Commons, in her area of expertise. The lecture proceeds as well as can be expected when your audience have little understanding of your highly arcane subject, but what happens next is the first of a series of wildly implausible events.

Charmed by the attentions of Costley, apparently a top security operative, she wanders off with him to see the famous Chapel of St Mary Undercroft, in the crypt beneath St Stephen’ Chapel. Amid the imposing Neo-Gothic arches, he invites her into an obscure cupboard where the Suffragette Emily Davison hid on Census night 1911, where she is commemorated by a plaque for her audacious act. The sudden, untrammelled sex that follows is both a shock and an early indication that this drama is aiming somewhat lower than the brains of its audience, even if its ultimate destination may be the high moral ground.

Learning a little more about Yvonne’s life, we see that her marriage to Gary (Mark Bonnar) is not altogether happy, and his occasional affairs with research assistants may provide us with a clue as to why her dalliance with Costley came about at all. Her pregnant daughter, whose intention to give up her career to look after her child, meets with Yvonne’s disapproval, and the casual and unpredictable appearances at home of her bi-polar son are a constant source of pain and worry to her. All of this scene-setting and window decoration does nothing to answer the viewer’s question of why would an educated, comfortably off, middle-aged woman suddenly take the enormous risk of unprotected sex with a man she had never met before in a place where it was more than likely to be noticed?

The pair’s later encounters take place in public, if obscure alleys (such as the Apple Tree Yard of the title), slightly out of the gaze of the innumerable security cameras that bristle all over central London. Costley’s knowledge of these watchful eyes is expected in a member of the shadowy security services, but again, does Yvonne ever think to herself, that perhaps he takes other women to these dimly lit places, for much the same purpose? No; we are asked to believe that she takes his passion and his word on trust.

The next problem with the story is not one of believability, but of taste. George Selway (Steven Elder) a work colleague of two years has noticed Yvonne is having an affair (our would-be James Bond is obviously not as careful as he thinks he is) and corners her at a work party for a word, or rather, a drink-fuelled and violent rape. The script’s implication that this was all brought about by Yvonne’s single lapse cannot be ignored, and the scene, set in an office a few feet away from an otherwise tasteful academic’s party, is another, frankly unbelievable development.

The plot rolls on in this judgemental manner, well past Yvonne’s husband’s predictable confession of an affair with his latest research assistant, past her full confession to her best friend in a public place, of her indiscretions, and to her request to 007 to ‘warn off’ Selway from stalking her. That many of their secret trysts are set up via text message on a simple mobile phone he has given her for the purpose, and which she leaves lying about at home, in café’s etc. for the entire world to see, is just another level of risk that no educated person like herself would make the mistake of taking. Yvonne’s journey from her comfortable upper middle class life as sought after lecturer, to murder suspect, complete with ankle tag and thrice weekly visits to the Police Station is highly improbable.

I’m not saying the show is awful; it’s not, it’s well acted, well-paced and it kept me in my seat for four episodes. It is, however, old-fashioned, judgemental and frankly, unbelievable. I’ll let you discover the rest of its secrets for yourself, as I know you will, because everybody loves a spy story. Just don’t expect to have too much sympathy for the protagonists, because, as in real-life spy stories, no-one comes out of it with any respectability intact.

Scenester

19/2/17

APPLE TREE YARD is released on DVD & Blu-ray Box Sets on Monday 20th February by Arrow Films.

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