Not that before the HBO series Elisabeth Moss was exactly an unknown. Her appearances in ‘The West Wing of the Casablanca’ or her unforgettable role as Peggy Olson in ‘Mad men’ have already they had made her one of the most famous faces on the small screen. But you may not know that between the publicists series and ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, the actress had time to win the Critics’ Choice Award and the Golden Globe for his role in a miniseries that you can now watch for free on RTVE: ‘Top of the lake’.
The power of sundance
‘Top of the lake’ has behind it the winner of the Oscar, the BAFTA, the Palme d’Or, the Silver Lion and the Golden Globe Jane Campion, the person behind two of the most acclaimed works of the last thirty years: ‘The piano’ and ‘The power of the dog’. The director had not done television since she directed the TV movie ‘Two friends’ in 1986 and she had never been at the controls of a series, but the story (and telling it at the pace he needed) interested him so much that he couldn’t miss it.
Alongside her was Gerard Lee, a regular Campion collaborator: they met at college and they have co-written a feature film, a short film, and both seasons of the series. By the way, ‘Top of the lake’ has the incredible honor of being the first complete screened series in the history of the Sundance festival: In January 2013, attendees were able to see the seven hours in a row (with a break for lunch), something that was later repeated in Berlin.
‘top of the lake’, a drama about the investigation of a pregnant 12-year-old girl and whose images are embraced by the bleak hills of New Zealand, is a series that really deals with several of Campion’s obsessions. femininity vs. toxic masculinity, rape culture, power struggle and motherhoodwith an exuberant, overwhelming and unusual beauty in each shot and broken characters facing a world that only systematically turns its back on them.
To which we are going: Can you watch it for free?
When we talk about streaming services, we always wrap our heads around Netflix, HBO Max, Prime Video… But the RTVE website has a few surprises inside. ‘The collapse’, ‘Downtown Abbey’, ‘Sherlock’… It may not be a catalog to rummage through for hours, but it is totally free. And in these times of uncertainty, it is not little.
And, although the first season of ‘Top of the lake’ is the most recommended, with its oppressive calm, its scenarios between bucolic and nightmarish and its characters locked in a world they hate, if you’re left wanting more research, feminism and superb performances, you also have the second batch of episodes available, ‘China girl’. His change of location and a trickier and less subtle script did not do him much good. and season two loses strength, but the first continues to shine with its own light thanks to a vibrant plot that builds to a crescendo in which Elisabeth Moss gives absolutely everything.
Moss was Campion’s second course after the resignation of Anna Paquin for being pregnant, but, of course, he more than delivers. There is a part of the director and the actress in the characterand it shows that the investigation is not just another police story: ‘Top of the lake’ strives to tell us his vision of the world around us, with as much natural beauty at first sight as thorns as soon as you start scratching. A great little New Zealand series that, if you haven’t seen, you can’t miss. Of course, you will have to hurry because it will only last on the RTVE website until September 1! Do not worry: it is more enjoyable in a marathon.