nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

Child Item

The Virtues (new drama from Shane Meadows)

Basq

Not quite another This Is England but lots of the cast and looks mighty good!

https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-04-18/the-virtues-channel-4-air-date-cast-plot-trailer-stephen-graham-shane-meadows/

Find more posts tagged with

Quick Links

Comments

JP Liz V1

It starts Wednesday 15th of May at 9pm

Autecher

Someone on another forum I'm on has seen the first episode of this and described it as (Spoiler free of course.)

"I've just watched a screener of the first episode and found it quite intriguing. Tense, queasy and grim, in typical Meadows style."

brian_t

Once Upon a Time in the Midlands
This is England
The Stone Roses: Made of Stone
Dead Man's Shoes

Are all on Film 4 - next Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Gimme A Pound

Watching The Virtues now - Jesus Christ, I'm already in ribbons. The opening is absolutely heartbreaking...

Stephen Graham is... beyond belief superb.

jos28

That was tough going, an emotional rollercoaster. Tender, poignant scenes, grim and difficult to watch scenes. Stephen Graham was a giant actor carrying an immensely harrowing story in a very realistic and gritty drama. I'm exhausted after watching it. There seems to be plenty of Irish actors in the coming episodes. I really missed the Netflix next episode starting caption. Dying to see the next episode but fear that there won't be any happy endings.
Brilliant drama , fair play to all concerned

Always Tired

I had the fear just watching him on that session. Superb performance.

Hard going but also hard hitting. Looking forward to following it.

[Deleted User]

I love the almost documentary style - the way the characters talk like real people, ie. not overly scripted and not perfectly enunciated.

Stephen Graham is breaking my heart, though. I'm only just getting over Line of Duty.

CoBo55

Very very good, anyone who's struggled with alcohol would understand that bender, not drinking the cider was brilliantly done, he's a fantastic actor.

fitzparker

Deleted User wrote: »

I love the almost documentary style - the way the characters talk like real people, ie. not overly scripted and not perfectly enunciated.

Stephen Graham is breaking my heart, though. I'm only just getting over Line of Duty.

This is what i love about meadows, even the kid acting, nothing is forced, the bar scene felt like he just walked in with a camera and told Graham to start acting and see what happens, it all feels so real.

jos28

Incredibly realistic, I was nearly shouting at the screen at the start of the bar scene. Screaming at Stephen Graham to go home (in my head).
Like Missusj, I'm still getting over Line of Duty.

Gimme A Pound

A woman moving far away from her child's father with her child and her new partner, when relations are perfectly fine between father and child, just seems so cruel (on the kid too). I know, I'm a grown woman, but I bawled inconsolably at that scene. It was unbearable.

It also affects grandparents and aunts/uncles/cousins/the child's friends. So harsh.

[Deleted User]

I actually had to stop half way. Just so hard to watch. Il have to finish it when I’m a bit more emotionally available!!

The bar scene, like god I felt every bit of it.

Aidric

Outstanding again from Meadows, carried by a quite brilliant performance from Graham. It was heartbreaking watching the descent of Graham as he struggled to come to terms with the reality of his son moving to the other side of the world.

More than anything you could sense the shame he felt for his actions. When his son called him while he was on the bus and he didn't take the call out of a mixture of shame and being strung out an a hangover. He then calls him again in the cafe and he picks up the phone pretending to be all chipper and straight in with the excuse of falling off the ladder. Man, that was heartbreaking. The scene where he struggled with choosing whether to drink the cheap bottle of cider was similarly tough.

All round a brilliant opening start to a 4 parter. Looking forward to what's to come.

Dante7

Jaxx Lemon Bib wrote: »

A woman moving far away from her child's father with her child and her new partner, when relations are perfectly fine between father and child, just seems so cruel (on the kid too). I know, I'm a grown woman, but I bawled inconsolably at that scene. It was unbearable.

It also affects grandparents and aunts/uncles/cousins/the child's friends. So harsh.

Those sort of decisions are quite common in UK family law cases. It's not quite as prevalent here, but it does happen. Although, here, if a father shows involvement in the child's life and goes to the trouble of going to court, permission to remove the child will usually be denied.

JP Liz V1

Stephen Graham is one of the best actors of this generation

Dante7

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Stephen Graham is one of the best actors of this generation

I was going to say, give him the BAFTA/Emmys now, but Jared Harris for Chernobyl and whatever he does next is better.

jos28

I had seen This is England years ago and just had to watch the film again tonight. Jesus, powerful stuff. Strange to watch it this time with Brexit in mind. Shane Meadows is a genius

[Deleted User]

Dead man shoes is one of those films I watched years ago and have never forgotten it.

Goodigal

When he told his son that he could call the other guy dad in Australia, I lost it. How heartbreaking was that?! But I truly wanted the pub scene to end. It was awful to see the decline. Looking forward to seeing how the back story unfolds.

Gimme A Pound

Yeah that bit (telling his boy that it would be ok to call his mother's boyfriend Dad) was the worst, Goodigal. The character is such a decent guy.

Rfrip wrote: »

Dead man shoes is one of those films I watched years ago and have never forgotten it.

That floored me... :-/

Shane Meadows, what are you trying to do to us!

Taiga

Just watched it there now, Jebus I'm a mess. Wrecked after it. Stephen Graham was just stunning in it, couldn't take my eyes off him. And yeah the 'you can call him Dad' and the whole bar scene, I could barely breathe. Absolutely brilliantly done.

I haven't seen anything else Shane Meadows has done but I'll rectify that pronto!

Basq

Taiga wrote: »

I haven't seen anything else Shane Meadows has done but I'll rectify that pronto!

You lucky so-and-so!

Enjoy!

gucci

This is great, by great I mean absoloute torture to watch, but having watched and been intrigued by the previous Shane Meadows content I had a fair idea of what i was letting myself in for.
(The this is England tv show was one of the very few tv shows/ movies ever that i needed to turn off and watch at a different time because my head wasnt able to deal with the content at the time)

That bar scene, wow.

You just know its not going to be pretty, but its the balance between winding the tension up and balancing the emotion is whats so good in these shows. Its probably down to pace and how its shot, but it would be so easy to over do some scene, or for it to get hammy but its always shot and controlled. Fantastic.

Gimme A Pound

gucci wrote: »

This is great, by great I mean absoloute torture to watch, but having watched and been intrigued by the previous Shane Meadows content I had a fair idea of what i was letting myself in for.
(The this is England tv show was one of the very few tv shows/ movies ever that i needed to turn off and watch at a different time because my head wasnt able to deal with the content at the time)

Exact same here for the film. Had to leave it until a few years later.

Hats off also to Shane Meadows for his skill in preventing a slide into the salacious and exploitative. These are extremely difficult, dark matters and can be fodder for misery porn (not that I haven't watched such stuff myself) but his take is: these are matters that need to be explored, the stories need to be told, so here they are, but with humour too. I think the humour helps get through it.

anewme

Had to post here. Watched the first episode last night on All4. Stephen Graham is mesmerizing. What a talented actor. I was literally on the edge of my seat while he was in the bar. Just wow.

gucci

Jaxx Lemon Bib wrote: »

Exact same here for the film. Had to leave it until a few years later.

Hats off also to Shane Meadows for his skill in preventing a slide into the salacious and exploitative. These are extremely difficult, dark matters and can be fodder for misery porn (not that I haven't watched such stuff myself) but his take is: these are matters that need to be explored, the stories need to be told, so here they are, but with humour too. I think the humour helps get through it.

I might be overthinking it, but i think Meadows setting these stories in Northern towns helps maintain the balance of emotion and humour. It just makes it feel more authentic imo

bobbyss

Joseph said he was going to 'Southern Ireland' when taking the ferry to Belfast. I'm sure I heard that? Or am I wrong? No scenes were filmed in the Republic as far as I know so if he's actually going to 'Southern Ireland' it will be interesting to see how that developes.
Great programme. Great acting. This is what telly is for!

anewme

He did say Southern Ireland. Cant wait to see this tonight.

jos28

I try not to drink midweek but might need a drink tonight if last week's episode is anything to go by

Gimme A Pound

No ferry from Liverpool to Belfast between morning and night, and no mention of a ferry to Dublin - pretty dubious in an otherwise top notch production.

Just remembered the start too when he's being driven to work by the guy bitching and moaning about night feeds for his newborn - to a guy who's about to say goodbye to his child until who knows when...