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When the Australian novel The Slap was first published, it unleashed a tidal wave of interest from both literary critics and parenting circles alike. I, being the cultured and trendy kid that I am, meant to read it, but then… er, sort of forgot about it. Never mind, as BBC4 are now showing fools like me what they were missing: is it ever right to slap a child, let alone a child that isn’t yours? This is the contentious issue that The Slap seeks to explore in the eight-part adaptation of the best-selling novel by Christos Tsiolkas.
Each episode focusses on different characters’ viewpoints, their reactions to the slap, and how they receive – insert pretentious voice here – a ‘metaphorical slap around the face in their own lives’. One man certainly deserving of a smack is Hector (Jonathan LaPaglia), the central character of this opening episode, who seems to be sneakily cramming his body with every drug going, whilst contemplating having an affair with the teenage babysitter of his children. It is at his fortieth birthday party that the titular event occurs, causing Hector to confront his worries about his father’s health, his own parenting skills, and his relationship with his wife
Although the first several minutes seem to crawl by (and are complemented by an unsettlingly sporadic narrator who just rocks up in the story whenever he feels like it), the drama eventually picks up pace as we are introduced to the characters, and my, are there plenty of them. You’ll probably need a pen and paper to keep track, but to avoid pronoun overload, I’ll keep it simple. Hector’s wife, admired by all for her perfect housewifey-ness, is played by Sophie Okonedo, who marvellously conveys Aisha’s bubbling frustration as she seeks to keep control of the party, her children, and her carefree husband. Other party guests include Hector’s excitable parents; Hector’s cousin, Harry (Alex Dimitriades) (the ‘slapper’, if you like); and Rosie (Melissa George) and Gary (Anthony Haye), parents of Hugo, the ‘slappee’.
The slap itself is signposted in almost every way imaginable: Hugo is the Annoying Child at the party and amuses himself by winding up the other children (the adults have taken the dangerous “meh, bung them all in one room together, they’ll be fine” approach). At four years old, Hugo is still being breastfed by his overly protective mother, prompting many raised eyebrows from the parents. Furthermore, when Hector’s son Adam questions the nature of parental punishment, Hector explains, “If he’s not my son, I can’t punish him, okay? Hint hint.”
The nature of the plotting and characterisation – the shared looks, the sly offhand remarks – allows the tension to grow at an incredible rate, but teases the viewer to the point where you virtually cheer when the slap fiiinally happens. I don’t know how the action was narrated in the book, but the on-screen execution is slick, providing enough spontaneity for it still to be a shock. Within seconds, Hector's garden is a battlefield, parents lashing out at each other and totally ignoring that lovely spread Aisha has prepared.
Whilst child-disciplining measures may not be the most cheering of dinner-time conversations, this drama should hopefully prompt a few discussions, even if it teeters on the boundary of soap-opera style drama. Viewers may hold their own strong opinions on The Slap already, but should expect them to be challenged as the drama continues.
The Slap returns on Thursday at 10pm.
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