Say Nothing

A late contender for one of the best shows of the year. .... That “Say Nothing” manages, in just nine episodes, to deliver a survey of the Troubles, a devastating true-crime case, a harrowing object lesson on hunger strikes, a drama about sisterhood, a tragedy in which movement leaders betray each other, and even, at one point, a heist, all without trivializing the suffering its protagonists caused or absolving them of their complicity — is more than impressive. It’s astonishing.

A layered look at a traumatic conflict with reverberating effects to this day, FX's adaptation created by Joshua Zetumer (Patriot's Day) boasts a stellar ensemble that keeps the series engaging through and through.

The series streamlines much of the larger historical context and can feel claustrophobic as a result — in excluding a full picture of what British occupation materially meant in the day-to-day of West Belfast, the series fails to communicate the scale of what this history means to the region. But the show ultimately weaponizes that claustrophobia to its benefit.

What emerges is a disordered, skewed account, but a powerful one.

It is upfront about its narrow focus on Jean McConville and the Price sisters and it would be a worry if viewers regarded Say Nothing as a complete A-Z of the Troubles. It is nothing of the sort. Instead, the concentration on one terrible event reveals how violence – no matter the cause – corrodes the soul and follows the living even as the dead are left forgotten in their cold, unmarked graves.

Although often bursting with style and period details, things unfold almost at a slight distance.

As potent as it frequently is and as necessary as it consistently is, the show can’t always reconcile all of its threads in a way that feels cumulative instead of scattered.

A remarkable piece of storytelling about the nuances of The Troubles and civil unrest in Northern Ireland. A raw story that explores guilt, loyalty, and national pride. Such a shame that this great series has gone relatively unnoticed.

Say Nothing is powerful television and deeply moving storytelling. The 9-episode series is based on a non-fiction account of the Troubles through the lens of four principal characters. The series engages, almost hypnotically, and spares the viewer nothing by way of violence and helplessness. We watch events unfold, knowing that the people carrying out the brutal acts are all based on carefully researched Belfast citizens, many of whom are still alive. This is a production more than deserving of your time.

The series gets better with each episode. It is horrifying in its subtlety regarding the horror. People died, people suffered, and few escaped unscathed. The acting is seriously good. It is a single watch but it is a good single watch.

Northern Ireland's fight for independence from England ran for 40 years with continuous bombings and other horrible acts on both sides. The series is formatted around the oral history from several key members of the IRA (the Belfast Project). The drama primarily focuses on 2 young women (Lola Petticrew and Hazel Doupe) who started their involvement as teens, organized a bombing in London and ended up in prison for an extended hunger strike. Meanwhile, several of the movement's leaders play a part in the story, including the mother of 10 who became one of The Disappeared and the involvement of Gerry Adams, president of Sinn Féin, who denies any part in the IRA. The performances are uniformly strong and the filmmaking effectively ranges from outrage to tragedy to tenderness . This is a complex story told with intelligence, compassion and power detailing the personal tolls, continuous cruelty and controversial politics from both sides (with the focus on the IRA). NOTE: Since the Irish accent can get thick and they talk fast, consider turning on captions. (Nine 40-minute eps)