The Island Of 30 Coffins

The French mini series The Island Of 30 Coffins (L'île Aux 30 Cercueils) is mystery thriller with apparent supernatural elements. A surgeon, Christine Vorski (Virginie Ledoyen), receives a video on her phone. It indicates that her stillborn child was in fact murdered. She heads for her former home to investigate the matter: the island of Sarek, a place she has not set foot on in well over a decade. While she's on the ferry to the island, an attempt is made on her life.

The Island Of 30 Coffins is based on the novel L'Île Aux Trente Cercueils by Maurice Leblanc. The English translation is known as The Secret Of Sarek and is readily available as an ebook. This is the second TV adaptation of the book. The first was in 1979, starring Claude Jade as Véronqiue d'Hergemont, the character whom Christine Vorski is an updated version of. It was a relatively flat costume drama which, like the book, is set around the end of The First World War. It dates from just before the step change in western television production that was kicked off by the BBC's adaptation of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

The new version, set in the 21st century, is quite different from what has come before. The still overblown plot is extensively rewritten, less linear and far less episodic than the book. The characters are more rounded and not so much vehicles for the plot. It makes much more use of cinematic techniques than the first adaptation, which relies heavily on static cameras and the stagey movement of characters around the set.

The action mostly takes place on the fictional island of Sarek in the Glénan Archipelago. Christine's arrival on the island, half dead, entwines with a local myth regarding the deaths of 30 sailors drowned on the surrounding reefs. It's said that they were drawn to their deaths by the singing corpse of a woman. When the corpse returns there will be 30 coffins and four crucified women. The similarity between the words écueils (reefs) and cercueils (coffins) is mentioned in the novel. Events spin out of control in a mesh of intrigue, superstition and religious fervour. The supernatural aspect is helped along with a little bit of J-horror. This is a little twee but can be forgiven as a reference to Ring. Both water and the horrific ending of that film, what a parent would do for a child, are relevant.

The grandiose plot and the islanders' decent into a delusional mob stretch the bounds of credulity. Two things keep it together. Great use of the landscape: it can be bleak, it can be creepy. It's used to keep the pacing about right. The second is the use of highly competent actors in the minor parts. It makes the islanders seam real even when events are unbelievable. Dominique Pinon (City Of Lost Children) as Horacio and Thomas Mustin (Raw) as his son Rémy, plus Jean-François Stévenin (Brotherhood Of The Wolf) in one of his last performances as Henri Dormont, Christine's estranged father, are good examples of this.

If you can suspend your disbelief for six episodes then The Island Of 30 Coffins is worth a watch.