5 Reasons Why You Should Watch The Serpent

Assuming that you haven’t already binged this 8-part mini-series detailing the murders of notorious 70’s serial killer Charles Sobhraj aka The Bikini Killer or The Serpent (where the series takes its name), let me convince you as to why you should.

Tahar Rahim & Jenna Coleman 

My oh my, Rahim and Coleman are exceptional in the roles of Charles Sobhraj and Marie-Andrée Leclerc. TBH, I will watch anything Rahim is in after watching his breakout film A Prophet. And unsurprisingly Rahim absolutely kills it (no pun intended) as a creepy, charismatic killer… it’s very unsettling just how good he is! And Coleman, I have only ever seen her in Doctor Who but she makes Leclerc 3 dimensional and has you wondering whether she is actually a victim or just a killer throughout.

70’s Vibes

The fashion. The hair. The music. I must admit that I am obsessed with the ’60s and ’70s, and I love the mise-en-scène in this show, everything on screen feels tangible and immersive. I can tell that Jenna Coleman’s hair and wardrobe is going to be everyone’s obsession.  

Great Storytelling

This is on the edge of your seat shouting at the TV stuff. The tension is so palatable, and I found myself cringing and trying to advise characters not to make the decisions they inevitably make (why do we do this 😂). Some people don’t like the flitting between timelines, but I personally like it, it adds suspense and makes you focus.

To Travel Vicariously 

Ah, in the era of Corona we can only travel through our screens. This show could not have aired at a better time here in the UK, we are in Lockdown 3.0, and it’s absolutely freezing! Hong Kong, Thailand, Nepal, Pakistan, France and India are a welcome escape from a dreary winter in England, even if this jet-set trip is rather gruesome.

The Cinematography 

Luscious colour palettes, film footage montages and surveillance like zooms are just some of my favourite things about The Serpent’s cinematography. The way a TV show or film is shot is infinitely fascinating to me; I love analysing what a camera movement could mean or why a specific colour palette has been employed. In The Serpent, the cinematography serves to build tension and immerse the viewer in its timeline. Film footage instantly makes it feel retro, and those surveillance zooms make you nervous and think that someone is in danger. The colour palette is almost oppressive in its lushness, mirroring the headiness of occupying the same space as Sobhraj.

The Serpent is available to watch in the UK on BBC 1 @ 9 pm on Sundays or to binge on BBC iPlayer (Elsewhere on Netflix soon)

French Cinema: Un prophète (A Prophet) film review

Un Prophète directed by Jacques Audiard is an award-winning French crime drama. It won the Grand Prix at Cannes, several César Awards, a Best Foreign Language Film BAFTA, Best Film at the BFI London Film Festival and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 82nd Academy Awards. Quite the collection of accolades and there is most definietly a reason for that.

Tahar Rahim is exceptional as Malik El Djebena, an incarcerated small-time criminal who ascends up the prison hierarchy. Rahim commands the screen completely even though this was one of his first film roles, and we, the audience, follow his startling metamorphosis step by step.

One of the most visceral scenes comes early in the film, where Malik is tasked with the assassination of Reyeb, a fellow Muslim prison mate, by the all-powerful Corsican mob boss César Luciani (Niels Arestrup). It is a startling scene that is hard to watch but brilliantly depicts Malik’s desperation to survive. As a result of his violent and botched murder, he is thus haunted by the spectre of Reyeb throughout the rest of the film.

Impressively, Un prophète is not exactly an original tale, but its execution and exploration of race make it a compelling entry into the prison drama genre. Due to Malik El Djebena’s French-Algerian heritage, he is able to navigate the diverse cultures of the prison; he straddles the gap between the Corsican mobsters and the Muslims and cultivates his position within both groups to further his position in the prison’s hierarchy.

He also finds time to learn how to read and write through the prison school, arming himself for life outside when his six-year sentence is finally over. His journey is a complex and compelling one, and you feel yourself rooting for him throughout.

A familiar story made brilliant through execution and a star performance by Tahar Rahim, who is easily one of France’s most compelling actors working at the moment.