Life After Life

Life After Life: A cycle of life, death and rebirth from 1910 to the 1940s. Ursula sometimes dies at birth, at times a child, a teenager, an adult. Dies from accidents, suicide, murder, a bombing victim. In one instance she changes history by assassinating a tyrant. This is indeed a tale of the Multiverse traversed by one person, But a person who starts to remember past lives, how this affects their actions and their subsequent treatment is teased out in this adventurous and engaging series. Thomasinn MacKenzie is wonderful as the teen/adult Ursula. Directed by John Crowley, Screenplay by Bathsheba Doran, adapted from the novel by Kate Atkinson. Four episodes on BBC2 amd BBC iPlayer. 8/10.

Having just binge watched all four episodes, this was rather enjoyable. Sure its a little confusing, and it seems that some of the "lives" in the book have been omitted, but inclusion may have over complicated. I did think the narration was necessary and understated.

Overall, well acted (the Ursula character particularly) , well made, needs concentrations and occasional rewind to catch up on missed plot lines.

Certainly worth watching and better than a lot of the drama series currently being put out.

Adapted for TV from a popular novel with an intriguing premise - a protagonist continually being reborn with a chance to live her life again with different outcomes.

This was a quality drama with high production values, beautiful direction and cinematography and a fine classical score by Volker Bertelmann. The script by Bash Doran was well-crafted with lovely crisp dialogue and a well paced structure. The cast was strong in depth from the children right up to the protagonist Ursula.

Minor quibble would be the narration - a little over used but in general everyone was on song in this production, congrats all round, I loved it.

I have loved the book for some years - re-read it several times - so was a little nervous about the TV series. But it was perfect. Most of the scenes were almost exactly how I imagined them, and the characters too. Having the author, Kate Atkinson, involved obviously helped.

Yet my favourite scenes were ironically the ones where the series departed most from the book (which is not to say it was far), especially episode four, In many ways the TV series tied it all together better than the book did.

Even though I knew what was coming the series still packed emotional hit after hit, so I cannot imagine what someone who did not know it would make of it!

Did you ever notice how, in polite society, we never discuss that which we fear most? This is the case with reincarnation, a process, according to doctrine, each of us must experience. And more than once. Any film or series that tackles this topic is by definition, brave. Especially if done well. This series handles the topic brilliantly. It is in the same class as CLOUD ATLAS, a film on my IMDb list of the best films ever (more below). The purpose of the series, perhaps like the purpose of the process it is so determined to explore, appears to be merely to get one thinking and pondering. And it succeeds at that purpose. Brilliantly. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))