You know the drill: a protagonist with a complicated past returns to their home town, drawing old tensions to the surface. This town, of course, is riddled with mysterious deaths and disappearances, like every second rural location in Australian film and television. Such settings and plot scenarios lure our storytellers like moths to the flame. And they’re dusted off once again in Savage River, a six-part series crafted with some atmospheric elegance by veteran director Jocelyn Moorhouse that lacks oomph and invokes a serious case of deja vu.
Given the familiarity of the premise, which returns Miki (Katherine Langford, of 13 Reasons Why fame) to her home town after serving 10 years in prison, the screenwriters (Giula Sandler, Belinda Bradley, Franz Docherty, Angie Fielder and Polly Staniford) needed to work especially hard to come up with something fresh. However, the show gorges on formula and boxes itself into an unfortunate rhythm whereby each new plot development feels, well, old and contrived to advance the narrative in particular ways.
I found myself constantly second-guessing the experience rather than being swept away by the currents of the story. Unsubtle water-related metaphors and symbolism are part of the experience: the titular “Savage River” being beautiful but, indeed, rather savage, or at least the scene of multiple crimes. I half-wanted to see the writers lean into this concept in a schlocky way, summoning a crazy old character to warn people to stay away from the water, screeching “that river haunted, haaaaunnnttteeedd!”
But the tone is serious, invoking dual mysteries connected by location but separated in time, structurally reminiscent of The Dry and The Gloaming. One involves a death that occurred a long time ago, for which Miki served her prison sentence. The second mystery involves a recent death, transpiring soon after the protagonist returns, making her the prime suspect.
Upon returning, Miki reconnects with her twin brother Terry (Cooper van Grootel) and meets her niece Ocean (Hannah Bickerton). In a plot development that makes one appreciate that Smell-O-Vision never became a thing, she also lands a job as a “guts sorter” at the local meat works, where the owner Kevin (Daniel Henshall) takes advantage of his employees, many of whom are refugees.
If there wasn’t already enough jiggery-pokery in this small community, one of the meat works employees appears to have disappeared, adding a third mystery strand. There’s also a local mayoral election coming up, pitting a cranky old incumbent against a progressive younger candidate. This political context doesn’t exactly position the drama in front of the fires of revolution, but you know the election is going to have significance later on.
There are early indications that the cast, while capable, won’t be delivering hard-hitting performances. Jacqueline McKenzie comes closest as a weeping widow, but focus is more squarely on Langford, who pulls off one primary mode (“mysterious”) but doesn’t take it to interesting places. Miki isn’t a particularly likable character and as a consequence we don’t care much about her past – which is crucial to the narrative.
Moorhouse offsets the script’s dark elements with a soft, tactile style that is pleasant but doesn’t feel entirely suited to the material. Veteran cinematographer Don McAlpine – whose career dates all the way back to Australian new wave productions such as Don’s Party, My Brilliant Career and Breaker Morant, plus Hollywood classics including 1987 action flick Predator – brings lots of air and light into the frame, but Savage River is a minor work in the sharp-eye’s repertoire.
The same is true of Moorhouse, whose films include Proof and The Dressmaker, as well as TV productions she co-directed, such as the magnificent Wakefield and excellent Stateless. In Savage River, Moorhouse’s soft touch provides elegance but reduces the impact of the drama, which is never terribly executed but (due to the overreliance on formula) very “so what?”
While the visuals feel organic, the writing feels contrived. There are multiple references, for instance, to a fireworks celebration in episode two (this review encompasses the first four), building anticipation for an event that will obviously be used to stage a game-changing twist or revelation. The script is full of moments that feel too neat, too staged, too signposted, too calculated. It feels like we’ve floated down this river many times before.
• Savage River airs on ABC on Sunday nights at 8.30pm.
