Film Reviews & Movie Analysis

Created and Written by Daisy Coulam

Broadcast: Channel 4
Concluded: 31/01/2020
Synopsis: On the night of a terrible fire, Tom Kendrick’s (David Tennant) wife and three children are tragically killed. However questions still remain about who started the fire and why.
Cast: David Tennent, Cush Jumbo, Anna Madeley, Matthew McNulty
Episodes: Four

A small and sleepy Scottish town is rocked when tragedy strikes at the heart of the community. Dr Tom Kendrick (David Tennant), and his wife Kate (Anna Madeley), a teacher at the local school are trapped in a deadly fire. Their three little girls, along with Kate don’t make it out alive.

The fire was no accident and soon fingers start to point at a deceased Kate, however the more that is uncovered about the aspirational Kendrick’s, the more their neighbours realise they didn’t really know them at all.

I was gripped from the first few scenes, and that sensation continued throughout the pilot episode as well as the second episode. I was nervous for what I could sense coming, as well as the inevitable fall out from the events.

The setting of a close knit Scottish community was so cosy. From cheering for the bikers riding through the town to the ‘barn yard’ fair. It all painted an idyllically picture that helped to resonate the magnitude to which it all went up in flames.

Episode three did drag slightly for me as we saw the seemingly unnecessarily extreme deterioration of Police Sergeant Steve Campbell (Matthew McNulty). The emotion behind his tethering on the edge really threw me. Though I understood to a level where it came from; guilt, anger, jealousy, – the standard trifecta – it also just felt wholly out of place.

Admittedly the final episode was slow – but more importantly it was satisfying as we got all the answers (or confirmations!) we were looking for. Overall I thoroughly enjoy the journey through a psycho’s mind and thought Deadwater Fell did a great job of jumping between the past and the present. All the misinformation, and the disjointed pieces of narrative were scattered and recalled beautifully.

Some great acting from Tennant, and a quick binge watch I would definitely recommend.

Trailer Below…