I have never made a secret of my immense admiration for
Jane Campion despite possible accusations of feminine bias. Rarely does a contemporary director exhibit such a singularity of vision with the ability to pull it off. All of her work starting from her very early, but also very excellent
Angel at My Table (1990) are marked by certain unmistakable Campion signatures: the female protagonist, the breathtaking cinematography, a distinctive sensibility, and a willingness to push the boundaries of cinema which some might regard as ‘quirky’ (a word that is death to an artist), but which I see as true experimentation.
Top of the Lake, Campion’s latest creation which came out earlier this year, is a seven part ‘mini-series’ and in some ways perhaps her most conventional piece of work. That being said, it is far from the usual formulaic murder mystery concoction in every way. As with the best of the genre, like the iconic Twin Peaks, Top of the Lake starts with the disappearance of a young girl named Tui, who, as we find out over the course of the film is 13- years-old and somehow pregnant.
Enter the formidable Elisabeth Moss as Detective Robin Griffin, a tough as nails cop with a deep, dark, and terribly ugly backstory of her own. Robin is on leave visiting her mother in the small but stunningly beautiful town of Lake Top (in New Zealand) when she is called in to counsel Tui when her pregnancy is initially discovered.
Over the course of these brilliant seven episodes we are treated not only to the unravelling of a truly complex mystery, but also, and therein lies the genius of the production, a study of a remote small town where everyone has their secrets and humanity manifests itself in its finest and most venal forms.
I will not plot summarise, it is up to you to go out and find this indelible piece of work from a woman that just seems to get better with experience. Instead, I will just pique your interest a little bit more by telling you that in addition to Moss’ riveting and powerful performance, we also have the pleasure of watching that other phenom called Holly Hunter in one of the strangest (but also perhaps most compelling) roles of her career as GJ – a cultish figure with long flowing white hair who ends up renting a piece of land in Lake Top called ‘Paradise’ and proceeds to raise the hackles of almost every full-blooded male in that small town.
Intrigued? Oh, you should be. Top of the Lake, if I had to choose just the one adjective to describe it, is the most thrilling piece of cinematic work I have seen in a very long time. It is also one of the most nuanced and layered studies of character that you’ll find. This is a film that I know I will come back to again and again knowing each time I will find something new. That is the hallmark of truly great art.
Watch Trailer:
Top of the Lake