doalvarez2002 Review of The Outcast

The Outcast (2015)

Riveting enough to commission a second series of this compelling story!

[10/10 · 6 January 2016]

I really loved and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this two-part novel adaptation for the TV. It's the story of a rebellious lonely teenager who lacks his father's love and spends the entire duration of this miniseries desperately looking for it. His father remains so aloof from him that he doesn't make the slightest attempt to hug or kiss him particularly when he used to return home from his boarding school holidays. This was rather poignant to see. His father's affection would have meant so much. It would have helped him get over the sudden death of his mother who drowned in his presence while having a summer picnic when he was barely ten years old. Growing up so precociously away from home while trying to cope with his inconsolable grief turn him into a distant and reserved teenager. His actions soon make him look like a social misfit in his conventional upper-class community, landing him in prison for two years for setting the local church on fire. You really endear yourself to his character and tend to feel sorry for him considering all the unbearable pain he goes through. As he cannot seem to be able to cry or have someone to rely on, he adopts a selfdestructive attitude and resorts to cutting his own forearm, which helps him cope with the pain and suffering. All and all the story is so riveting and compelling that once you start watching it you cannot simply stop. It's so strong that it defies any Sunday afternoon drowsiness. It is brilliantly acted, above all Finn Elliot's performance which is flawless and superb. George MacKay's is also remarkably electrifying making the weight of this story worth in gold. This may well be an adaptation of Sadie Jones' novel, but the story has fuel for a sequel. Despite its happy ending, it really left me gasping for more, wanting to know more about the characters.