I'm normally a fan of slow, detailed stories in which place and nuance do the work of moving the story forward and silence amplifies the thoughts and utterances of the characters. The problem here is that the characters are still so thinly drawn and the pacing builds only towards what seems like inevitably violence rather than organic revelation. At times it doesn't feel much more real or better realised than some Dirty Harry type tale where the furious cop stumbles and storms ever onwards, with nothing really developing his story or making him into other than a two-dimensional character. Instead of being affecting or engaging this feels, despite the twin narratives of filial loss and domestic abuse, utterly unengaging.
Review of Unfinished Affairs
