This is the third of the Hinterland English language version of the Welsh Drama. A body is found in an old quarry and DCI Mathias follows the clues amongst the locals who may have had a grudge against the victim once they know his identity. Hinterland follows the usual disciplines of the genre with twists and turns that make the viewer guessing about the identity of the killer. A possible suspect is found dead but the evidence points eventually to murder. Now DCI Mathias has two murders on his hands.
The Welsh language is woven into the dialogue with realism and Hinterland accurately reflecting how the day to day reality of how people live their lives in the parts of Wales that are bilingual. The photography is superb and the acting impressive, reflecting the Nordic noir tradition of allowing the viewer to look into the actors eyes and feel the emotions. Richard Harrington is especially impressive as is Mali Harries as the DI working alongside him.
The Danish production company that made The Killing have bought Hinterland I can well see how this washed out, bleak drama will appeal to viewers of The Killing. Let’s hope that Hinterland will prove to as successful as The Killing and that it can be sold to other markets, perhaps one of the main US networks. The limited subtitle should make it acceptable for the American market.
The programme breaks new ground for drama from Wales and hopefully Hinterland will be the first of many.
