News

Coronation Street spoilers for the week of June 2-6 tease hasty exits, stolen kisses and teenage tussles! Eileen Grimshaw (Sue Cleaver) makes a hasty exit, Carl Webster (Jonathan Howard) steals a kiss, and Dylan Wilson (Liam McCheyne) tussles with Brody Michaelis (Ryan Mulvey).

Hasty Exits

Eileen is set to leave Weatherfield next week, but the main question is whether she will take her partner George Shuttleworth (Tony Maudsley) along. Eileen shows George and Jason Grimshaw (Ryan Thomas) a Gazette article that suggests they are involved in an insurance scam.

George understands that this could damage the business and informs Todd Grimshaw (Gareth Pierce), but who wrote the article?

Meanwhile, Jason flirts with Danielle Silverton (Natalie Anderson) at The Rovers, and she is taken aback when he reveals that Todd is his brother.

Later, Jason asks Eileen to move to Thailand with him and be his business partner; Eileen is tempted...

Coronation Street spoilers and updates for the week of May 26 tease break-in trouble, calculated revenge, and a blast from the past!

Brody Michaelis (Ryan Mulvey) causes break-in trouble, Kit Green (Jacob Roberts) calculates revenge, and Theo Silverton (James Cartwright) gets a blast from the past.

Break-In Trouble

Brody tenses up as he hears a voicemail from his father. Later, Kit comes home to discover Brody wrecking his apartment, revealing that Mick Michaelis (Joe Layton) has convinced him of his innocence and that it’s a setup by the police.

Kit calmly informs Brody that the evidence points in a different direction and that Mick is known to be violent.

Enraged, Brody lunges at Kit, causing him to crash into the wall. The teenager then bolts out of the apartment, his hoodie pulled over his face, just as Bernie Winter (Jane Hazlegrove) and Sarah Platt (Tina O’Brien) arrive.

Kit Confronts Bernie...

Coronation Street spoilers the week of May 12 tease someone turns violent, a childhood’s revealed, murder accusations fly, and an admission is made.

Gary Windass (Mikey North) turns violent, Kit Green’s (Jacob Roberts) childhood’s revealed, Eileen Grimshaw’s (Sue Cleaver) accused of murder, and Debbie Webster (Sue Devaney) makes an admission.

Gary’s Violence

Mick Michaelis (Joe Layton) gets angry with Gary after he bullies teen Liam Connor (Charlie Wrenshall) next week.

Mick spits out his tea when he discovers Liam has mixed in washing powder; Liam is happy to get back at Mick for covering him in cement.

However, Mick is set on revenge and locks Liam in the tool shed, where a scared Liam calls for help but no one hears him.

The next day, when Mick sends Liam to get bacon sandwiches and he doesn’t come back, Gary and Maria Connor (Samia Longchambon) find him at the café,...

Coronation Street spoilers for the week of May 5 tease someone dies, another’s targeted, and one bonds with her baby she intended to give up for adoption.

Julie Carp (Katy Cavanagh) loses her battle with sarcoma, Todd Grimshaw’s (Gareth Pierce) targeted, Dee-Dee Bailey (Channique Sterling-Brown) bonds with her baby and more!

Julie Carp Dies

Next week, Julie will spend her last day with her half-sister Eileen Grimshaw (Sue Cleaver) as the beloved character faces the end of her fight against Sarcoma. In a heartfelt moment, terminally ill Julie records a video on her phone, emphasizing the significance of love.

Meanwhile, George Shuttleworth (Tony Maudsley) has planned a romantic evening for Eileen to express his feelings, but she declines.

She reminds him that he was supposed to take her and Julie on a day trip to the Lakes. Instead, the sisters opt for a cab, and as they soak in the scenery,...

Coronation Street spoilers for the week of April 21 tease Lauren Bolton’s (Cait Fitton) shock, Debbie Webster’s (Sue Devaney) panic, Dylan Wilson’s (Liam McCheyne) danger and more! Todd Grimshaw’s (Gareth Pierce) secret’s at risk, romance finds Julie Carp (Katy Cavanaugh) and more!

Lauren’s Shock

Next week in Corrie, Lauren faces a shocking revelation that leads to a significant mistake. At the hospital, the doctor informs her that her son, Frankie Bolton (Roman Thresh), is recovering well and will soon be able to go home.

However, when a nurse brings a package for Frankie, Lauren notices the prison stamp and is disturbed to find out it’s from her estranged father, Reece Bolton (Scott Anson).

Later, Lauren decides to visit Reece in prison, but what will he say to her? The next day, Lauren gets caught up in the turmoil caused by Betsy Swain (Sydney Martin...

Coronation Street spoilers and updates for the week of April 14 tease medical tests, a search for justice, and two women’s revenge! Debbie Webster (Sue Devaney) faces medical tests, Dee-Dee Bailey (Channique Sterling-Brown) searches for justice, and Daisy Midgeley (Charlotte Jordan) and Christina Boyd (Amy Robbins) get revenge!

Debbie’s Medical Tests, Carl And Abi’s Clash

Next week, Carl Webster’s (Jonathan Howard) arrival leads to a major conflict with Abi Webster (Sally Carman-Duttine); meanwhile, Debbie maintains an optimistic attitude as she prepares for a challenging journey ahead.

Abi is finding it difficult to share her home with her brother-in-law Carl and demands that he leave so she can spend some quality time with Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell).

This is after his chemotherapy treatment; Carl agrees to step out, assuring Kev that he will return to take him to his next session.

Later, when Abi calls Kevin, Carl...

Coronation Street spoilers for the week of April 7 tease seven scandalous scenes will be on fans’ screens. Abi Webster (Sally Carman-Duttine) slugs Carl Webster (Jonathan Howard) Dee-Dee Bailey (Channique Sterling-Brown) confronts a midwife, Kit Green (Jacob Roberts) flirts and more!

Carl’s Arrival, Abi’s Faux Pas

Kevin Webster’s (Michael Le Vell) behavior takes a downward turn, and things escalate when his wife Abi accidentally hits his brother Carl.

Meanwhile, the relationship between Kevin and his son Jack Webster (Kyran Bowes) remains tense, with Jack infuriated after being grounded by his father. Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall) hopes to reconcile with Kevin, but Kevin is not in a friendly mood.

Glenda Shuttleworth (Jodie Prenger) gets an earful from Kevin when she hesitates to serve him at the Rovers, and when Tyrone arrives, he becomes the target of Kevin’s frustration. Tyrone calls Kevin nasty and selfish, which prompts Kevin to throw a punch.

Coronation Street spoilers for the week of March 10 tease crash aftermath, a chase, someone leaves, someone’s booted, and someone’s vengeful!

The aftermath of the devastating crash continues, Betsy Swain’s (Sydney Martin) chased, Yasmeen Nazir (Shelley King) leaves, Cassie Plummer’s (Claire Sweeney) booted and Tracy Barlow’s (Kate Ford) vengeful!

Who Was Behind The Devastating Crash?

The fallout from the catastrophic crash in front of Rover’s Run lingers, with fingers pointing in every direction—who is truly to blame?

As the chaos begins to fade following the horrific incident involving Daisy Midgeley (Charlotte Jordan) and Daniel Osbourne (Rob Mallard), tensions rise and accusations fly.

Kit Green (Jacob Roberts) is furious upon learning that Andy Garland (Andrew Goth) has been taken into custody, asserting that the crash was caused by reckless drinking.

Will the real story finally emerge? And what about that suicide note from David Platt...

Coronation Street spoilers for the week of February 24 tease a baby daddy reveal, someone’s keeping secrets, someone’s hospitalized and more!

Daisy Midgeley (Charlotte Jordan) finally reveals her baby’s daddy, Julie Carp (Katy Cavanagh) is keeping secrets, Ken Barlow (William Roache) is hospitalized and more!

Daisy Reveals Her Baby Daddy As Her Exit Story Begins

Daisy’s imminent departure is on the horizon as she confides in Jenny Connor (Sally Ann Matthews) about her exciting new opportunity as an au pair in Paris!

In a surprising twist, Daisy also discloses the identity of her unborn child’s father – but is it Daniel Osbourne (Rob Mallard) or Kit Green (Jacob Roberts)? As the week unfolds, Daisy prepares for her 12-week scan.

However, when the sonographer adjusts the monitor for her to see, Daisy is suddenly overcome with emotion and flees the appointment; what’s troubling Daisy? Who is the father,...

Coronation Street spoilers and updates for the week of February 17 tease Rob Donovan’s (Marc Baylis) life’s on the line, and David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd) has a big decision to make.

Cassie Plummer (Claire Sweeney) continues her cringy behavior, Abi Webster (Sally Carman-Duttine) steps up as Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell) goes in the hospital, and Daisy Midgeley (Charlotte Jordan) keeps secrets.

Rob’s Life Is On The Line

Rob’s fate hangs in the balance after his audacious escape plan heads into action next week. But what will this perilous situation mean for his sister, Carla Connor (Alison King)? When Bobby Crawford (Jack Carroll) decides to visit his father, Rob, Carla advises him to be cautious.

At the same time, Rob reaches out to prison guard Mandy Waring (Rebecca Atkinson) for assistance, only to learn she’s been suspended due to their secret affair being exposed.

Mandy...

On Wednesday 25 December 2024, ITV broadcasts The Chase: Celebrity Special!

Christmas Special Season 14 Episode 2 Episode Summary

“The Chase: Celebrity Special” returns for a festive edition on ITV, with Bradley Walsh hosting an exciting Christmas episode. In this special, four celebrities will take on the challenge of facing five of the Chasers. Actor Tony Maudsley, Olympic champion Bryony Page, comedian Kerry Godliman, and TV presenter Alexander Armstrong will all try their best to outsmart the Chasers and win big for their chosen charities.

As always, the pressure is on as the celebrities go head-to-head with some of the sharpest minds in the country. With the holiday season in full swing, this special episode brings plenty of festive fun, fast-paced action, and high stakes. Viewers can expect the usual excitement, along with some lighthearted moments as the celebrities do their best to keep up with the Chasers. Don’t miss this Christmas edition...

Coronation Street spoilers and updates tease five of next week’s twists and more for the week of June 24. Gemma Winter-Brown (Dolly-Rose Campbell) is arrested, Joel Deering (Calum Lill) is lured into a trap, Stefan Brent (Paul Opacic) backtracks, and more surprising spoilers!

Coronation Street Spoilers: A Desperate Gemma Arrested For Shoplifting

Gemma’s day takes a turn for the worse when her daughter, Carys Winter-Brown, (Lucy and Lily Brown) urgently needs new shoes-even worse, Gemma receives a £70 parking fine in the mail.

Gemma decides to take Carys to the shoe shop to get her feet measured, but the shoes they find are too expensive at £45, leaving Gemma disappointed.

Seizing an opportunity when the staff are distracted, Gemma quickly grabs Carys’s hand and they make a hasty exit without paying for the shoes.

Later, Bernie Winter (Jane Hazlegrove) questions how Gemma managed to afford the shoes, but will Gemma confess to stealing them?...

Coronation Street spoilers and updates tease six early spoilers for the week of June 17 as Joel Deering (Calum Lill) has a new target, and Rowan Cunliffe (Emrhys Cooper) blackmails. Plus, Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) has a faux pas, Kevin Webster’s (Michael Le Vell) in hot water and Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson) has a crush.

Coronation Street Spoilers – Joel Deering’s New Target

Joel Deering, the secretive predator, has set his sights on another young girl for his next target; the question remains: will he ever face the consequences of his actions?

Joel confides in his fiancée, Dee-Dee Bailey (Channique Sterling-Brown) about the sadness he feels for keeping their engagement a secret from his parents.

Later, Joel comes across Sabrina Adetiba, (Luana Santos) who appears distressed outside the police station; he discovers that her brother, Gav (Noah Olaoye), has been arrested.

Seizing the opportunity, Joel hands Sabrina his business card...

Coronation Street spoilers and updates tease six explosive twists next week. Nick Tilsey (Ben Price) shares a forbidden kiss, Ken Barlow (William Roache) has a big fall and Abi Webster’s (Sally Carman-Duttine) at the end of her rope!

Coronation Street Spoilers – Nick Tilsey’s Forbidden Kiss, Toyah Battersby’s Secret Spilled

At the Bistro, Toyah is shocked to receive a delivery of yellow roses, which symbolize the loss of her baby daughter Rose. She believes that Rowan Cunliffe, (Emrhys Cooper) who reported her to the police, is responsible for this.

An angry Toyah confronts Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) with the roses and the card, and Leanne confesses that she told Rowan about Rose.

When Nick comes home, he tells Leanne that she must sever all ties with Rowan and the Institute, or their relationship will be over. Despite everything that happens in between, Nick feels guilty after kissing Toyah,...

Paul O’Grady has been remembered as a “force for good” by his famous friends including Carol Vorderman, Julian Clary and Michael Cashman.

Celebrities paid tribute to the drag queen turned TV and radio star during For The Love of Paul O’Grady on ITV on Sunday (9 April) evening, following his death last month at the age of 67.

O’Grady, who started out as a social worker while performing on the London nightclub circuit as the acerbic, platinum wig-wearing Lily Savage, died “unexpectedly but peacefully” on 28 March, his partner Andre Portasio said in a statement.

Remembering O’Grady for his activism, Vorderman, 62, said: “He was not only brilliant as an entertainer, he was a force for good.”

Former Labour Party leader Ed Miliband added: “He wasn’t just a fighter for the underdog, somebody who was willing to use his platform to speak up for people who didn’t have a platform,...

Tony Maudsley ''dreads'' having to wear his 'Benidorm' costumes. The 47-year-old star, who plays flamboyant beautician Kenneth Du Beke in the ITV comedy, has confessed to putting on weight since quitting smoking but insists the costume department haven't bothered to buy hot pants and vests in a larger size. Asked how he reacts when he sees what's been laid out for him to wear in his dressing room each day on set, he said: ''With dread, yeah, with dread. The first thing I do is worry if it's going to fit me. I stopped smoking two years ago and I've put...

ITV has confirmed more details about The Job Lot's second series.

The sitcom will begin its second run on its new home of ITV2 in the autumn, with Russell Tovey and Sarah Hadland returning as Karl and Trish.

Casualty's Laura Aikman has joined the cast as new Deputy Manager Natalie, while Sophie McShera, Tony Maudsley, Jo Enright, Martin Marquez, Angela Curran and Adeel Akhtar all return.

Among the second series' guest stars are Meera Syal as a CEO of a Midlands hot tub company and Keith Duffy as a telephone engineer with a 'roving eye'.

Mark Benton will appear as a job centre advisor who fancies Angela, and Rosie Cavaliero as Trish's rival job centre manager.

"It's great to welcome back the brilliantly beleaguered workers and job seekers of the Brownall Job Centre - and this time round with some excellent guest stars, who'll be joining our regular ensemble comedy cast,...

ITV has released a trailer for its new sitcom The Job Lot.

Him & Her star Russell Tovey appears opposite Miranda's Sarah Hadland in the job centre comedy.

Sophie McShera (Downton Abbey), Tony Maudsley (Benidorm), Martin Marquez (Hotel Babylon), Angela Curran (This is Jinsy) and Adeel Akhtar (Utopia) will also star.

"We're proud to be the home of this joyful, modern and warm sitcom," said ITV's Myfanwy Moore. "I'm so pleased we're able to support new writers, whilst working with such a truly impressive cast."

The Job Lot will air on ITV in the near future.

> Russell Tovey, Sarah Hadland "excited" for ITV sitcom The Job Lot

> Katherine Kelly, Tamsin Greig for new ITV crime drama 'The Guilty'...

'Benidorm' star Tony Maudsley is among a host of new actors to join 'Emmerdale'. The 43-year-old star - who portrays hair stylist Kenneth in the ITV comedy series - will play a defence lawyer in the forthcoming trial of mechanic Aaron Livesy (Danny Miller), who was charged with murder after helping his quadriplegic boyfriend Jackson Walsh (Mark Silcock) to die. James Gaddas, best known for his role as prison governor Neil Grayling in prison series 'Bad Girls' has also landed himself a role starring as a prosecuting barrister. He said: "I was delighted to be approached and really moved by the...

The cast of Benidorm have praised their series four guests stars Bananarama. Tony Maudsley, Adam Gillen and Shelley Longworth, who have all joined the Derren Litten comedy for the latest run, said that they had "great fun" with the '80s girlband, who cameo in the second half of the series.

"Bananarama were great fun! I loved them. They were fantastic," Gillen told Digital Spy. "They were brilliant girls - really glamorous and really, really funny. I didn't know what to expect, but they weren't prissy or self-conscious at all." Longworth commented: (more)...

Not an easy thing, making a film version of a classic 900-page novel, but harder still for a director to make that film her own. Mira Nair accomplishes this feat in Vanity Fair, an energetic new take on William Makepeace Thackeray's novel, one flavored with Indian spices. Yes, there is too much plot and far too many characters for a comfortable period movie. The story leaps about in a jerky manner, and the movie portrays its personae in broad brushstrokes rather than with meticulous, painterly precision. No matter. The spirit of that most modern of 19th century heroines, Becky Sharp, remains intact, and Nair's Indian touches make for an intriguing, fresh approach.

Traditionalists will no doubt carp about the Bollywood touches, but does anyone really want to see another anemic, literal translation of Thackeray on the screen? Reviews may be vital for the Focus Features release, however, as getting the film out of the art-house ghetto does represent a marketing challenge. The outlook in ancillary markets looks promising.

Thackeray's novel, which takes place during the Napoleonic Wars, concerns the lives of two starkly contrasted women, who first meet at an academy for young ladies. Film versions inevitably focus on Becky, a model of feisty feminism long before such a term existed and by far the tale's most entertaining and engrossing character.

Writers Matthew Faulk, Mark Skeet and Julian Fellowes follow the fortunes of both women but zero in on Becky. As played by Reese Witherspoon, this Becky, despite being a social climber and first-class schemer, is completely sympathetic. Women had little means other than guile and marriage to cross forbidden class barriers in English society of that era. Becky knows what she is doing but clings stubbornly to a moral code, albeit one not appreciated by the majority of that era's society matrons.

Certainly the first scheme of Becky and her best friend, Amelia Sedley (Romola Garai), fails to pan out. Amelia wants Becky to snare her rich but dim brother Jos (Tony Maudsley) in matrimony while Amelia herself has her heart set on dashing army captain George Osborne (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). Only George, a callow cad, talks Jos out of marrying the virtually penniless orphan.

Becky gains employment at the ramshackle country home of the Crawley family as governess and eventually marries Rawdon Crawley (James Purefoy), the second son of Sir Pitt Crawley (Bob Hoskins). When Sir Pitt's spinster sister Matilde (Eileen Atkins), formerly Becky's greatest champion, learns of the marriage, Rawdon, a self-indulgent, habitual gambler, is tossed out of the family.

George does marry Amelia, but only to spite his overbearing father (Jim Broadbent), a wealthy member of the emerging merchant class. George perishes in the battle of Waterloo, which Rawdon survives. Both women are by then pregnant. Amelia has her son, but her father-in-law lets her and the boy languish in dire poverty. Becky, too, has a boy, on whom Rawdon dotes. But as his gambling debts mount, Becky allows herself to acquire a patron in the powerful Marquess of Steyne (Gabriel Byrne). Where in Thackeray's version she become his mistress, in Nair's she is seen as compromised but still innocent.

A broken-hearted Rawdon quits the marriage and Becky drifts to the continent, where several years later her encounter with both Amelia and her brother brings the story to a close. Here again, Nair insists on an alteration of Thackeray. Where the novel leaves Becky a widow, who has ultimately realized her dreams, albeit at great cost, Nair's Becky runs off to India with Jos for a wedding in a lavish sequence shot at the magnificent Mehrangarh Fort in Jodphur.

Nair's Indian-ization of Vanity Fair is not without justification. Indeed Thackeray was born in Calcutta, where his father worked for the East Indian Co. The social world that he describes with such a critical eye in Vanity Fair was one of excesses of riches made possible by the British colonialization and the consequent rise of a middle class. Asian, African and Indian influences were creeping into London society as the Empire encountered cultures and people it barely understood.

Nair's cast is splendid. Witherspoon does justice to the juicy role by giving the part more buoyancy than naughtiness. Hoskins makes delightful comedy out of the idiosyncratic Sir Pitt. Byrne has just the right mix of hauteur and disdain for fellow aristocrats.

Rhys Ifans takes the self-pity out of the lovelorn William Dobbin, whose love for Amelia transcends her many brushoffs. Purefoy manages to project a manly exuberance that disguises a weak, hedonistic character. Atkins is great fun as the cheerfully hypocritical Aunt Mathilda, while Broadbent suggests overweening pride in the morally obtuse Mr. Osborne.

No attempt is made to age the actors; they simply appear in different costumes. Those costumes are especially rich, providing a kind of running commentary on the characters. Set design and photography are strong enough for the film to avoid that TV miniseries look from which so many British period pieces suffer.

VANITY FAIR

Focus Features

A Tempesta Films/Granada Film production

Credits:

Director: Mira Nair

Screenwriters: Matthew Faulk, Mark Skeet, Julian Fellowes

Based on the novel by: William Makepeace Thackeray

Producers: Janette Day, Donna Gigliotti, Lydia Dean Pilcher

Executive producers: Jonathan Lynn, Howard Cohen, Pippa Cross

Director of photography: Declan Quinn

Production designer: Maria Djurkovic

Music: Mychael Danna

Co-producer: Jane Frazer

Costume designer: Beatrix Aruna Paztor

Editor: Allyson C. Johnson

Cast:

Becky Sharp: Reese Witherspoon

Matilda Crawley: Eileen Atkins

Mr. Osborne: Jim Broadbent

Marquess: Gabriel Byrne

Amelia Sedley: Romola Garai

Sir Pitt Crawley: Bob Hoskins

William Dobbin: Rhys Ifans

Lady Southdown: Geraldine McEwan

Rawdon Crawley: James Purefoy

MPAA rating: PG-13

Running time -- 140 minutes...

Janet McTeer, who co-scripted "The Intended" with director Kristian Levring, delivers a fearless performance as the title character. That genteel terminology for "fiancee" stands as ironic comment in what amounts to an unrelenting descent into hell for the characters and, to a lesser degree, the audience.

Contributions of the accomplished cast notwithstanding, this period drama takes a few too many spins around the downward spiral, making it hard to believe as well as unpleasant. The U.K.-Danish co-production, which opens Friday in Los Angeles and New York, will have a tough road on the domestic art house circuit.

In 1924, 40ish Sarah (McTeer, who received an Oscar nom for "Tumbleweeds") and her twentysomething lover, Hamish (JJ Feild), arrive in a remote ivory-trading post in an unspecified Asian country. He has taken a job as a surveyor, a lucrative assignment that represents a fresh start for them. Having left behind England's postwar economy and Sarah's unhappy marriage, the couple are full of hope -- until they see the lay of the land and the handful of expats who populate it.

Running the colonial outpost is Mrs. Jones (Brenda Fricker), who, in her short hair and long skirts, resembles a Gertrude Stein whose art is not literature but psychological torture. Her chief victim is her son, William (Tony Maudsley), an overgrown schoolboy in his mid-30s. Countering her emasculating heartlessness is the ghoulish devotion of Erina (Olympia Dukakis), William's one-time nanny. Her fierce loyalty ensnares Sarah in a desperate psychosexual game of survival.

The disastrous cycle of events begins with William's extreme reaction when he learns that his mother intends to leave the business to her nephew (Philip Jackson). Recognizing at last the community's depravity, the resident priest (a haunting turn from David Bradley) surrenders to the heart of darkness, making it clear that nothing good will come of this situation.

Levring, a Danish commercials director whose feature debut was the English-language Dogme film "The King Is Alive", effectively strips away the romance of the exotic through insistently unpretty DV visuals by cinematographer Jens Schlosser. There's a powerful sense of immersion in the Malaysian locations, the humidity and dank green light all but palpable.

Diving into the baser instincts, McTeer and Maudsley hold nothing back. But the story's dark twists sometimes verge on parody, and with most characters so far past the point of no return, it's difficult to care what becomes of them.

Janet McTeer, who co-scripted "The Intended" with director Kristian Levring, delivers a fearless performance as the title character. That genteel terminology for "fiancee" stands as ironic comment in what amounts to an unrelenting descent into hell for the characters and, to a lesser degree, the audience.

Contributions of the accomplished cast notwithstanding, this period drama takes a few too many spins around the downward spiral, making it hard to believe as well as unpleasant. The U.K.-Danish co-production, which opens Friday in Los Angeles and New York, will have a tough road on the domestic art house circuit.

In 1924, 40ish Sarah (McTeer, who received an Oscar nom for "Tumbleweeds") and her twentysomething lover, Hamish (JJ Feild), arrive in a remote ivory-trading post in an unspecified Asian country. He has taken a job as a surveyor, a lucrative assignment that represents a fresh start for them. Having left behind England's postwar economy and Sarah's unhappy marriage, the couple are full of hope -- until they see the lay of the land and the handful of expats who populate it.

Running the colonial outpost is Mrs. Jones (Brenda Fricker), who, in her short hair and long skirts, resembles a Gertrude Stein whose art is not literature but psychological torture. Her chief victim is her son, William (Tony Maudsley), an overgrown schoolboy in his mid-30s. Countering her emasculating heartlessness is the ghoulish devotion of Erina (Olympia Dukakis), William's one-time nanny. Her fierce loyalty ensnares Sarah in a desperate psychosexual game of survival.

The disastrous cycle of events begins with William's extreme reaction when he learns that his mother intends to leave the business to her nephew (Philip Jackson). Recognizing at last the community's depravity, the resident priest (a haunting turn from David Bradley) surrenders to the heart of darkness, making it clear that nothing good will come of this situation.

Levring, a Danish commercials director whose feature debut was the English-language Dogme film "The King Is Alive", effectively strips away the romance of the exotic through insistently unpretty DV visuals by cinematographer Jens Schlosser. There's a powerful sense of immersion in the Malaysian locations, the humidity and dank green light all but palpable.

Diving into the baser instincts, McTeer and Maudsley hold nothing back. But the story's dark twists sometimes verge on parody, and with most characters so far past the point of no return, it's difficult to care what becomes of them.