Starring: Rory Kinnear, Michael Gambon, Julia McKenzie, Lolita Chakrabarti, Abigail Lawrie
Director: Jonny Campbell
Running Time: 180 mins
Certificate: 15
Release Date: JUne 15th 2015 (UK)

Considering it’s based on a book by JK Rowling and was high profile enough for the BBC to make it in co-operation with HBO, The Casual Vacancy wasn’t given as massive a push when it aired on TV as you might expect. That’s probably because despite being based on a novel by the Harry Potter author, it’s far more low key and adult than her earlier work.

Indeed, the main complaint about both the book and three-part TV series is that not a huge amount happens, and what does happen often appears, on the surface at least, to be of only marginal consequence. There is a point to most of it, but it takes a bit of work to figure out what that is. [Read more…]