The Outcast

This two part series deals with the theme of childhood trauma and subsequent attempts to reintegrate into the life of a small English village. The theme is the usual one of a misunderstood misfit. The novel might have been better, but the screen adaptation and script leaves much to be desired. It's as if the screenplay was developed from having read the novel, remembering a few events from that, then stringing those events in no special order to try a tell the story to others. There is little in the way of continuity. The actors spend a lot of time looking downcast, or just staring at one another. There's also a lot of mumbling and incoherent dialogue. It's not worth the watch! May be better to just read the novel!

You know, past sometime kick brain hard and it make life feels disturbed. In this movie, Lewis Aldridge (George MacKay) is one of many example that proves past can't be forgotten easily. And people around who knew our past acts like we should be strong in life, but in other way, we're weak and can't be helped in harsh/hard way. Lewis Aldridge also pictures how if someone broken because left by his loved one. And he tries so many times to change himself, but he just can't because it is not easy and his social are giving "f" about him. And the consequences, Lewis overflowing his anger, and sadness in bad way that it make people assuming Lewis is a "d", trashguy, headstone and should never around them.

I never recommend anyone who is in broken watch this. You deserved to be loved, and treated well so you can accept the past and build better future. I wanna give ten, but the story is still short.

The good old BBC has done it again... what a magnificent series, I cant think of any other 2 part series that was this gloomy, and yet beautiful and perfect in every sense of the word..., from the very beginning to the end, I cannot recollect even one misstep. George MacKay kills it as the protagonist, Lewis Aldridge. Im sure this guy is going to make it big... the range of emotions that he portrays is mind- boggling, he portrayed them all, each and every one of them. And once again manages to drive home the point why the brits are way better actors than their American counterparts. If I had to sum it all up in a sentence; Watching 'The Outcast', I didn't even blink once. PS: Not for people who don't like dark and gloomy dramas. PPS: If you are broken, then this is probably one of the best series that you will ever come across in your life.

With some great talent and such an interesting story this had a lot of potential to be good, even great. And all the high anticipation was not quashed, with a very good first episode, with a couple of reservations, and an outstanding second one. Don't let the constant gloom put you off, this was a powerful and poignant story done rivetingly by the BBC.

The Outcast looks great for starters, with the post-war period detail done to very elegant and atmospheric effect and the whole drama being beautifully photographed throughout. Loved also the haunting and carefully chosen music scoring (no shrill violins for example) that gave off a real sense of melancholy while allowing the drama to resonate and not overbear it, as well as how appropriately restrained the direction was. The script is intelligently structured, thoughtful and affecting, it doesn't rely too much on over-exposition, the mood is not too one-dimensional (thanks to a reasonably but subtly upbeat first twenty minutes or so) and there is very little misplaced to interrupt the flow (apart from the slightly misplaced sex scene in the bar). The story, while deliberately but seldom dully paced, is incredibly powerful in its best parts and has a great deal of poignancy and nuance, particularly memorable was the truly harrowing drowning scene and the contrast between the torment and secret pain and the civilised and restrained society was depicted powerfully and without any compromises too.

As for the cast, the performances are uniformly impressive, with seemingly clichéd characters to begin with but ones that show more dimension and meat in the second half. There were two performances that left me with reservations at first but once the material got meatier and the characters more interesting in the second half their performances got far better. George McKay seemed rather vacant and gormless at first (it was also at first a little disconcerting having the older Lewis bearing no resemblance to the younger one), but his emotional range gets wider, the more emotionally damaged Lewis becomes, and more subtle in the second half, making it easier to empathise with Lewis and the pain he's going through regardless of his actions. Jessica Brown-Findlay at first seemed a little lost, but the more sympathetic, hapless and tormented Alice became the more comfortable Brown-Findlay seemed.

Finn Elliot is wonderful as the younger Lewis, his grief and loss heart-wrenchingly portrayed, while Hattie Morahan is charming and a breath of fresh air in contrast to the drama's overall atmosphere. Greg Wise plays uptight and stern brilliantly, and there's even one part that shows that he is not entirely devoid of feelings, and Nathaniel Parker excels in a very atypical role as the domineering and brutish Dickie Carmichael. Jessica Barden also does a fine job showcasing Kit's physical and emotional damage, she is also very convincing playing a character quite a bit younger than she is.

To conclude, excellent and powerful BBC drama, that started promisingly with reservations and fared even better in the second episode. 8.5/10 Bethany Cox

As others have said the photography and other production valued are excellent, but the actual script didn't do it for me. What is up with the current dislike of dialogue. People say the acting was great. I can't really fault it, but it's not really that hard to stare at a camera and look sad, and mumble a little. There was an awful lot of that. And most of the supporting characters were just tropes.

Most of the film is unremittingly tragic, violent, and depressing. Long stretches of the protagonist's life are skipped over in a way that leaves enormous holes in his story. (Sorry, trying to avoid spoilers.)

There are a couple of nice scenes where the characters manage a three minute conversation, and one very positive "shock" moment. But that, plus a pretty girl and a bit of hope isn't enough to make it worth the interminable hell of the first 3/4 of the series.