What a view | HBO Asia’s The World Between Us: an examination of the aftermath of a mass shooting
- The inventive and emotional show follows the lives of the killer, the victims, their families, the media and the defence forces
- The fates of all characters are intricately entwined, whether those connections are wanted or not
The best-laid plans of mice, men and even television executives can evaporate when overtaken by events. So it has proved, regrettably, with The World Between Us.
The circumstances of the atrocity are not immediately revealed; but what is gradually made clear is that those killed were only the most visible casualties. Scarred forever are the victims’ immediate relatives (the script’s inventiveness means we become familiar with them early, so discovering their proximity to previous events comes as a shock); the lawyer who defended the killer, which jeopardises relations with his own family; a talented but insecure junior TV producer; her ice-queen news editor boss, obnoxious to everyone in her orbit; a well-meaning cafe owner too ready with advice; and a psychotic filmmaker bearing a grudge. Their fates, and even the killer’s, are surprisingly connected, which invests their post-shooting lives with all sorts of unwanted intricacies.
Director Lin Chun-yang gives an accomplished cast, including Alyssa Chia, Wu Kang-jen and James Wen, an hour per instalment in which to tease out the grief, anger and confusion of their altered states, which makes for a compelling study of human collateral damage resulting from careless brutality. And all of which makes The World Between Us an unfortunate sign of our times. Two consecutive episodes, beginning at 9pm, comprise tonight’s premiere; two new episodes will follow in the same slot every Sunday.
In After Life, on Netflix, Ricky Gervais takes on the world
Watch the trailer for After Life below. Warning: contains strong language.