Second Coming, 2014.
Directed by Debbie Tucker Green.
Starring Idris Elba, Nadine Marshall and Alex Lanipekun.
SYNOPSIS:
A London woman is slowly driven mad by suddenly and inexplicably becoming pregnant.
Naming your film after a poorly received Stone Roses album could be a creative risk, but when your protagonist, Jax (Nadine Marshall), suddenly becomes pregnant without conception, you might just be justified. Her story is that of cramped kitchens and overcast council estates, all seen through the slightly shaky camera of British realism. Grounding such a fantastical premise (divine conception) in this gritty tradition gives the film a poetic aesthetic. Unforuntaely, though, the lengthy opening segment is a bit too realistic…i.e. mundane.
Luckily, surprise Idris Elba (Prometheus, Luther) is a wonderful thing. He can pop up anywhere. Be it in Sky TV commercials, DJ spots at swanky Shoreditch parties or in independent British cinema by first-time female directors, the man is immune to overexposure.
For a time (28 minutes to be exact), he dominates everyone else onscreen. Asking for his dinner, snapping at his manual labour boss – there’s an animal ferocity to Elba’s screen presence, constantly sizing up the rest of the cast with his acting prowess.
This isn’t to say that his fellow actors are poor, but that the initial writing of their characters is heavily limited, with only Idris getting the engaging moments. Eventually everyone else finds their place, but the movie never quite recovers from its slow, meandering start.
The problem is particuarly pronounced in Jax. 50-or-so minutes is too long to have to warm to your movie’s lead. She’s too cold, nagging both father and son. It isn’t until much later on in the film that her reasons are subtly revealed. Three miscarriages and a birth that sent her into spiraling depression. A sudden impregnation by a supreme entity would understandably cause some trepidation.
Her mental state is portrayed through a recurring dream – or ‘vision,’ as she calls it – of a torrential downpour in the family bathroom. The noise is deafening, pellets of water shooting down like bullets from the roof. Her admirable, though often frustrating, stoic nature echoes Michael Shannon in Jeff Nichols‘ Take Shelter. She keeps these visions bottled up, aware of her own mental illness and how objectively crazy the situation. It shuts out her husband, her son, but still doesn’t stop the visions.
Second Coming is an interesting watch, but it lacks the brooding intensity of Take Shelter. So much of the latter is bound up in Shannon’s performance, and Second Coming simply can’t match his intensity. The subtle revelation of plot points, also, is often too sly to integrate fully with the directorial style.
An interesting piece, a promising new director and an always watchable Elba – but overall, a pale imitation of a much better film.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film ★ ★ / Movie ★ ★
Oliver Davis is one of Flickering Myth’s co-editors. You can follow him on Twitter (@OliDavis)
Originally published October 19, 2014. Updated November 28, 2022.
