Erik Knudsen’s retelling of the grim Greek myth sparks in moments but is weighed down by its leaden script Shot in and around Manchester, favouring cobbled alleys and anonymously austere office buildings for locations, this contemporary reworking of Oedipus Rex is a well-meaning but plodding drama. Instead of a Greek king, the protagonist is Campbell, a handsome but brooding young man (Reece Douglas, quite good) who has become an executive in the vaguely defined family company owned by his partner Jaz (Miranda Benjamin), a woman 20 years older. The two are looking into adopting a fertilised egg if they don’t succeed in getting Jaz pregnant. But her brother takes Campbell to meet a “seer” named Tim, who reveals that Jaz is in fact Campbell’s biological mother, rather spoiling the whole happy-family vibe. And on it goes, tracking pretty closely to the narrative as laid out in Greek mythology, but with modern dress and language stripped back to the most basic dialogue. Continue reading...
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