The Slap is another example of Hollywood’s fascination with psychological dramas, writes Debashine Thangevelo
IT’S Hector Apostolou’s (Peter Sarsgaard) 40th birthday. And his wife, Aisha (Thandie Newton), is anxious – not so much about the party, but about having to suffer her mother-in-law – think more along the lines of a high-handed Maria from My Big Fat Greek Wedding – the entire afternoon.
With everyone in the household on edge, and one trigger word shy of a full-blown argument, those fake smiles aren’t without a concerted effort.
As the guests start strolling in the noise levels tip over with the chatter, interspersed with bouts of laughter. But the calming sounds of jazz do little to relieve the growing tension – especially with Denis the Menace’s malevolent twin, Hugo, on a rampage to be as destructive as possible.
On the face of it, The Slap has the markings of a family drama. But this isn’t Brothers & Sisters; far from it, actually.
This union of family and friends is anything but idyllic. It is burdened by the weight of unhappiness, jealousy, chauvinism, tradition, status and egos, notwithstanding the whole maladjusted slant on parenting.
The first episode shows us Hector’s perspective on his life as he ushers in a new milestone. Turned down for a post he has been eyeing, he seems to be trapped in an emotional rut. And the nubile babysitter seems to be the cherry on the top – as far as presents go.
In many ways, he suffers a quasi midlife crisis à la Kevin Spacey (American Beauty).
The Slap offers a minefield of maddening characters who are easily ruffled. Among them are the voyeurs who blend into the background, nursing their own views and insecurities. It is the summit of exasperating. At the same time, you find them hypnotic.
This is where that psychological element cunningly comes into play. While you have this immense desire to inflict harm on these insufferable characters, perhaps in an episode of The Walking Dead where the zombies can do everyone a favour, that initial yearning is overridden by a disturbing fascination to see how the situation plays out.
This breed of mental warfare provides ample fodder for absorbing drama.
We have seen it marvellously exploited in shows like The Affair, House of Cards and, to an extent, How to Get Away with Murder.
Also, that multi-pronged approach is like looking through a glass prism: you can’t help but be transfixed by the parallel perspectives.
And so it explains the allure of this new outbreak of disturbing storytelling. It’s a mindf**k – but in a good way!
• The Slap airs on M-Net (DStv channel 101) at 8.30pm, tonight.
MEET THE GUESTS
THE GRANDPARENTS: Maria Tucci as Koula, the needling mother-in-law, and her husband Manolis (Brian Cox).
THE SLAPPER: Zachary Quinto as Harry Apostolou, the family show-off with a temper
to boot and his wife Sandi (Marin Ireland), his trophy wife.
THE VICTIM: Melissa George is cast in the role of mollycoddling Rosie Weshler, mother of the unruly Hugo (Dylan Schombing), with Thomas Sadoski (The Newsroom fame) as the enraged dad, Gary.
SILENT WITNESS: Uma Thurman is Hector’s childhood friend, Anouk Latham. A celebrity TV producer with a toy-boy actor boyfriend, Jamie (Penn Badgley), she sees a little more than she should at the birthday party.