The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe, GIFF 2021

International Series Competition

La Disparition de John Darwin

The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe

Swiss Premiere

Chris Lang

United Kingdom, 2022

Serie : 4x46'

Onsite
Episodes1-2/4 (93')

Online (from 13.11)

Episodes3-4/4

VO. English

ST. French

Clumsy real life caper

With

Monica Dolan, Eddie Marsan, Mark Stanley

In presence of Chris Lang, Tuesday November 8.

John Darwin pulls off an extraordinary life insurance fraud. A charming, very British formula bringing together a canoe, a depressed wife, a seriously floral home and many laughs (hollow, of course).

In collaboration with

What's hiding behind the lace curtains of an English home? John Darwin is just as small and insignificant as his ambitions are huge. His resigned (and desperate) wife watches on as he puts an ingenious idea into action to avoid bankruptcy: faking his own death and claiming the life insurance money. Chris Lang, who wrote the sensational series Unforgotten (starring the amazing Nicola Walker as a detective chief inspector), presents an adaptation of a true story. You need to see the diminutive, stubborn figure of Eddie Marsan floating out to the foggy sea in a canoe to appreciate the dark and poetic humor of a tale that brings together elements of Roy Andersson and Monty Python on Xanax.
Anna Percival

Creation

Chris Lang

Direction

Richard Laxton

Screenplay

Chris Lang

Image

Sergio Delgado, Hermes Marco

Editing

James Taylor, Barry Moen

Music

Harry Escott, Ben Pearson