IF I HAD YOU

UK, 2006, 100 minutes, Colour.
Paul Mc Gann, Sarah Parish, Mark Benton.
Directed by John Deery.

If I Had You is an entertaining murder mystery, police investigation telemovie. It has beautiful English countryside settings, a small town, lake. It also recreates life within the town.

The setting is a high school reunion and the arrival of the new police officer who was at the school and joins in the graduation party. That night, a young woman is murdered and she has to lead the investigation, assisted by the portly policeman who was in the year behind her at school. Sarah Parish is very strong in the role of the police officer. Mark Benton is a convincing Harry – a mixture of shrewdness and softness with a soft spot for the pregnant wife of the main suspect. Paul Mc Gann, looking particularly gaunt, is the main suspect, a good man but a weak man, a womaniser.

As the film moves on, suspicions move from Mc Gann to the police officer herself – but there is a final twist at the end.

The film was directed by John Deery, the director of the film about Irish church troubles, Conspiracy of Silence.

1.An entertaining murder mystery? Telemovie? The pattern of English telemovies like those of Inspector Morse, Inspector Wexford, Midsomer Murders…? Comparisons?

2.The countryside setting, the use made of the beautiful scenery? The town itself, halls, churches and churchyards, police precincts? The timber yard? The musical score and its atmosphere?

3.The title and the ironies – especially as relating to each of the four central characters?

4.The introduction to Sharon Myers, her arrival, the camera tracking her, her strong stances? Her meeting Helen and the happy reunion? Being introduced to Philip? The celebration, the talking? Her noticing the young girl talking to Philip?

5.The young boys playing by the lake, finding the dead body? The identification? The clues? The stab wounds? The missing necklace? The background of the young woman, a teacher at the school, friendship with Helen, friendship with Philip? Sharon and her suspicions, having seen her at the party?

6.The investigation? Sharon and her arrival, unpacking, meeting the staff? Her hard-line investigation? Keeping authority to herself, challenges to delegation? The interactions with Harry, stern with him? The emergence of her relationship with Philip and the deceit? Harry discovering this? The contrast between her passionate reaction and her coldness in detection? Her making investigations, the search of Philip’s house, her reassuring him she didn’t order it? The discoveries? The lipstick in his office? The discussions, her trying to protect him? Continuing the affair? Her believing him – and not believing him? Her following through, audiences being led to believe that she did the murders, planted the evidence? Her relationship with Helen, picking her up at the hospital, going to the yard, audiences assuming that she was going to kill Helen? The irony of the truth? Her death, her headstone? The stories of her being abused by her father? An unhappy life?

7.Philip, his marrying Helen, inheriting the timber factory? At the celebration, his relationship with the young girl? Admitting the affair? The revelation of his relationship with Sharon? Their avoiding people, the meetings in their homes? The love? Did he love her – the background of their meeting earlier, the affair, his ending it, going back to his wife? His fondness for his wife, her pregnancy? His being harassed, interrogated, under suspicion? His protesting his innocence? The hospital, the birth of the baby? His witnessing Helen’s struggle with Sharon, his assumption that Sharon was attacking Helen? His discovering the keys in the garage, the discussion with Helen, her explaining what had happened? The long close-up of his face at the end? What would happen?

8.Helen, pregnant, jovial, teaching, the party, her work at the estate agency? Always supportive of Paul? Always cheerful? Friendly with Sharon, looking at the old photos? The birth? The delight in having Philip’s child? Picked up by Sharon, the struggle, and the irony that she killed Sharon? The truth and her explanation of her motivation, the murder of the young woman?

9.Harry, his devotion to Helen? The investigation, his suspicions? Concealing evidence from the laptop of the young woman, the emails? Further investigation, clashes with Sharon? His seeing Sharon and Philip together? The future for him?

10.The focus on the four main characters, the interactions, a sharper tone than usual? The mystery and its explanation? Satisfying?