The Woman in the Wall

It turned out to be one of the best dramas I have seen this year. Easily. It was standout from the first scene.

It’s this overplaying of the narrative hand, not to mention the risibly trowelled-on gothic melodrama (at one point, Lorna scurries around with an axe), that should be the undoing of The Woman in the Wall. It’s saved by explosive arthouse brio and that atomising central performance. Wilson is just so good in this: you could watch her unravel for ever.

It’s clear Lorna is on the precipice of sanity, and a little of that kind of where-are-we unreality goes a long way. Still, I liked everything that wasn’t presented in a haze, and, overall, I was riveted to the miniseries. The uncompromising approach to the horrors committed by people of God, and the women who were victimized by them, is something to see, and something to remember.

I am no binge-watcher and it’s rare that I find myself itching for a second episode. But The Woman in the Wall was so stirring that I am desperate to know what happens next.

While the crime storyline is resolved a bit too tidily, the series is most passionate about finding justice and peace for the women like Lorna who have spent their adult lives under a cloud of grief and unresolved shame. [29 Jan - 18 Feb 2024, p.7]

Despite the performances, the main issue plaguing “The Woman in the Wall” is that though the core story is compelling, it is weighed down and muddled by too many unnecessary genre elements.

Creator Joe Murtagh and director Harry Wootliff can’t quite stick the landing. The result relies too often on pained expressions, distorted flashbacks, and cop drama tropes to really do this story justice.