Fans of Gillian Anderson hoping to see another of her patented powerful women - a lineage which stretches from Dana Scully to Margaret Thatcher - might be in for a surprise with Trespasses.
In this devastating romantic drama, she’s a “glorious wreck”, struggling with bereavement and alcohol addiction. She rarely leaves her armchair - or the bottom of a gin bottle - and has to be put to bed most nights. She falls off furniture. She’s found comatose and bleeding in the bath. It might not be Anderson’s most glamorous role but it’s among her most heartbreaking.
Based on the award-winning novel by Louise Kennedy, Trespasses transports us to Northern Ireland in 1975. Living in the shadow of the Troubles has frustrated the desires and dreams of spirited young Catholic schoolteacher Cushla Lavery (Lola Petticrew). That is, until she falls for Michael Agnew (Tom Cullen), an older, married Protestant barrister known for taking controversial cases on both sides of the sectarian divide.
So begins a four-part story of forbidden love, set against Belfast’s tumultuous backdrop. Stripped across the schedules for four consecutive nights, the miniseries starts slowly but cranks up a gear once our star-crossed lovers embark on their illicit affair. Worlds collide as working-class Cushla is drawn into Michael’s bohemian social circle. There’s a quietly telling scene where she takes her new-found habits home, tearing up a baguette with her hands and cooking with garlic, much to her family’s horror.
Adapted for TV by Bad Sisters writer Ailbhe Keogan, the script is refreshingly literate - characters discuss books, plays and films, like real people do but fictional ones usually don’t - and full of typically wry Ulster understatement. Chronic boozers are “fond of a drink”. Terrorist atrocities are “an awful carry-on”. About the warmest welcome someone gets is “Ah, it’s yourself”.
As Cushla and Michael's feelings deepen, both are pulled between duty and desire. Amid a pervading atmosphere of fear and paranoia, the pressure on their risky relationship grows. Anderson plays Cushla’s widowed mother Gina, who is deep in denial about her alcoholism and constantly spars with her defiant daughter. When their fate becomes dangerously intertwined with the family of Cushla’s favourite pupil, violence looms.
The soundtrack and production design are richly evocative of the era. On the TV are The Generation Game, Miss World and Jim’ll Fix It (different times). More often, though, action unfolds over the constant background hum of new bulletins about the latest bombing. Sirens and explosions are often audible in the distance. Allegiances are declared by murals, posters and flags fluttering from lampposts. Armed checkpoints are manned by bully boy British troops. Interiors are authentically brown and smoke-shrouded.
Cullen’s accent slips at times but Michael and Cushla’s doomed passion is vividly painted. Among the shadows and rain, their mutual attraction lights up the screen. She also has a sweetly affecting friendship with her colleague, “Wee Gerry” (Oisín Thompson), who we learn is fighting battles of his own. Devotees of BBC cop drama Blue Lights will spot some familiar faces among the cast, even if they are disguised by period-appropriate moustaches.
Yet like in last year’s IRA drama Say Nothing, for which they were BAFTA-nominated, it’s Petticrew who steals the show. With the story told through Cushla’s eyes, it’s an impressively nuanced performance - courageous yet flawed, wise beyond her years but youthfully idealistic. With a magnetic screen presence, this luminous talent is carving out a niche as the next Jessie Buckley.
When tragedy strikes, as it was always destined to do, Petticrew delivers a viscerally raw portrait of grief and trauma. However, Trespasses is anything but misery porn. It’s warm, made with love and ultimately uplifting, complete with a spine-tingling coda. A deeply human drama about a highly charged slice of history. As Michael tells Cushla: “We must find the bravery to choose freedom over fear.” A note of hope foreshadowing Northern Ireland's own future.
Trespasses airs on Channel 4, nightly at 9pm from Sunday 9 to Wednesday 12 November. The full series will be available to stream at channel4.com
