The Slap | |
---|---|
![]() Intertitle | |
Genre | Drama |
Written by | Emily Ballou Alice Bell Brendan Cowell Kris Mrksa Cate Shortland |
Directed by | Jessica Hobbs Matthew Saville Tony Ayres Robert Connolly |
Starring | Jonathan LaPaglia Melissa George Essie Davis Alex Dimitriades Lex Marinos Diana Glenn Sophie Okonedo Anthony Hayes Sophie Lowe Blake Davis Oliver Ackland Toula Yianni Eugenia Fragos Rebecca Downie |
Country of origin | Australia |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 8 |
Production | |
Executive producer | Penny Chapman |
Producers | Tony Ayres Helen Bowden Michael McMahon |
Running time | 51 minutes |
Production company | Matchbox Pictures |
Original release | |
Network | ABC1 |
Release | 6 October – 24 November 2011 |
Related | |
The Slap (U.S. adaptation) |
The Slap is an Australian television drama series. It was first broadcast on ABC1 from 6 October to 24 November 2011. The series is based on The Slap , a 2008 novel by Australian author Christos Tsiolkas, which explores what happens when a man slaps a child, who is not related to him, at a suburban barbecue.
Filmed in Melbourne, Victoria, the series was produced by Matchbox Pictures' Tony Ayres, Helen Bowden and Michael McMahon, with Penny Chapman serving as executive producer. [1] The directors—Jessica Hobbs, Matthew Saville, Tony Ayres and Robert Connolly—directed two episodes each. The writing team included Emily Ballou, Alice Bell, Brendan Cowell, Kris Mrksa and Cate Shortland. [2] [3] [4]
The series was aired on DirecTV's Audience Network in 2012, and an American adaptation of the series, also starring Melissa George, premiered on NBC on 12 February 2015.
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Hector" | Jessica Hobbs | Kris Mrksa | 6 October 2011 | |
Family and friends gather at Hector's house for a BBQ to celebrate his 40th birthday. But during the festivities a guest slaps a child who is not his own. No-one can see it at the time, but this single act begins to unravel the social fabric which once linked them all together. | |||||
2 | "Anouk" | Jessica Hobbs | Emily Ballou | 13 October 2011 | |
In the days and weeks after the slap Anouk discovers that the incident has unleashed unexpected responses from those around her. She is torn between her friendships and her beliefs and faces decisions about her own life which threaten to overwhelm her. | |||||
3 | "Harry" | Matthew Saville | Brendan Cowell | 20 October 2011 | |
As the police become involved, Harry and Sandi begin to fear that the slap will threaten their reputation, lifestyle and, most importantly, their family. Harry tries to take matters into his own hands but it's too late. | |||||
4 | "Connie" | Matthew Saville | Alice Bell | 27 October 2011 | |
Things with Connie and Hector haven't been the same since the slap. She decides to confront Hector but his reaction propels her into a decision that will have serious consequences. | |||||
5 | "Rosie" | Robert Connolly | Cate Shortland | 3 November 2011 | |
Rosie's outrage has been building since the slap and now finally she is given her day in court. The friends from the BBQ gather again but this time under very different circumstances. | |||||
6 | "Manolis" | Tony Ayres | Kris Mrksa | 10 November 2011 | |
Struggling to understand the selfishness and greed of his children's generation, Manolis watches in alarm as the slap divides his family. He calls on a special bond to try to put things right. | |||||
7 | "Aisha" | Robert Connolly | Emily Ballou | 17 November 2011 | |
The slap has taken a toll on Hector and Aisha's relationship, or maybe it has just exposed the issues that were already there. They go away together to try to restore their marriage, but their holiday does not turn out as planned. | |||||
8 | "Richie" | Tony Ayres | Brendan Cowell | 24 November 2011 | |
Lies, betrayal and adultery all come to a head as people are forced to make decisions about their lives and behaviour. When Richie gets caught in the crossfire, he looks to a desperate solution. |
The Slap was originally screened by ABC1 each Thursday at 8:30 pm from 6 October 2011. [5] Repeats followed on the preceding Friday nights on ABC2. [6]
The series received generally positive reviews. Holly Byrnes of The Daily Telegraph said after viewing the first episode that The Slap is "arguably the best Australian drama produced this year", [22] and Luke Buckmaster of Crikey commented after seeing previews, "The dramas and interpersonal relationships are engrossing from the get-go, the story like a David Williamson script that actually has bite, tension and doesn't pander to racial or cultural stereotypes. The Slap presents a view of middle class multicultural Australia rarely seen in film and television." [23] David Knox of TV Tonight also praised the series, writing after episode one, "I was completely hooked by its ability to present three-dimensional characters on the screen and its strength in telling an urban story. So confident are the sum of the parts that frankly it feels like this will only get better. The Slap is one of the bravest dramas of the year." [24]
Clem Bastow of The Sydney Morning Herald had the opposite view, however, writing that the program contains, "listless direction and lifeless editing (huge pauses between great swathes of dialogue), an adaptation that squishes large passages of the narrative into bite-sized chunks (witness Hector and Connie's divebomb from flirty glances and kissing to Connie suddenly deciding he was repellent), and the actors wandering around in the middle of it all." [25] Despite this earlier negative review, the Herald subsequently gave The Slap its "Couch Potato" award for best Australian drama of the year. [26] Kit MacFarlane in Metro offered further negative evaluation of the series, finding that "despite a strong dramatic foundation, The Slap is ultimately an exercise in announcing drama rather than exploring it, presenting a scenario drenched in forced excess, sensationalism and artistic posturing" and describing it as "around seven hours of soap opera masquerading as earnest drama." MacFarlane goes on to suggest that its critical popularity might point to "a regression in the ability to analyse screen texts and narrative nuances" and that "The Slap's themes and cultural ideas have been explored countless times before in a variety of different ways." [27]
The initial episode gained viewing figures of nearly 1 million people, winning its timeslot, when it was first shown on ABC1. [28] Later, excluding figures for the final episode, the ABC announced that The Slap was averaging 952,000 metro (five main capital city) viewers on ABC1 and a further 232,000 viewers on ABC2 with 14% of viewing as Timeshifted (watched later through various PVR devices). It has recorded 566,000 plays via ABC iview and 204,000 plays via the official website. [29]
Episode | Title | Original airdate | Viewers | Nightly rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Hector" | 6 October 2011 | 0.946 [30] | 5 |
2 | "Anouk" | 13 October 2011 | 0.912 [31] | 7 |
3 | "Harry" | 20 October 2011 | 0.858 [32] | 7 |
4 | "Connie" | 27 October 2011 | 0.811 [32] | 9 |
5 | "Rosie" | 3 November 2011 | 0.915 [32] | 7 |
6 | "Manolis" | 10 November 2011 | 0.906 [32] | 6 |
7 | "Aisha" | 17 November 2011 | 0.832 [33] | 7 |
8 | "Richie" | 24 November 2011 | 0.831 [34] | 8 |
Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | AACTA Awards [35] [36] [37] [38] | Best Telefeature, Mini Series or Short Run Series | The Slap | Won |
Best Lead Actor | Alex Dimitriades | Won | ||
Best Lead Actor | Jonathan LaPaglia | Nominated | ||
Best Guest or Supporting Actress – Drama | Diana Glenn | Won | ||
Best Director | Matthew Saville | Won | ||
Best Director | Jessica Hobbs | Nominated | ||
Best Screenplay | Brendan Cowell | Won | ||
Best Screenplay | Kris Mrksa | Nominated | ||
Best Male Performance | Lex Marinos | Nominated | ||
Australian Directors' Guild Awards [39] | Best Direction in a TV Drama Series | Matt Saville | Won | |
Australian Writers' Guild Awards [40] | Best Television Mini-Series Adaptation | The Slap | Won | |
BAFTA Television Awards [41] | Best International Programme | The Slap | Nominated | |
Equity Awards [42] | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Television Movie or Miniseries | Cast | Won | |
Logie Awards [43] [44] | Most Outstanding Drama Series, Miniseries or Telemovie | The Slap | Won | |
Most Outstanding Actor | Alex Dimitriades | Nominated | ||
Most Outstanding Actress | Essie Davis | Nominated | ||
Most Outstanding Actress | Melissa George | Won | ||
Monte-Carlo Television Festival [45] | Outstanding International Producer (Drama Series) | Michael McMahon, Tony Ayres, Helen Bowden | Nominated | |
Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Blake Davis | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Anthony Hayes | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series | Melissa George | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series | Sophie Okonedo | Nominated | ||
Screen Music Awards [46] [47] | Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie | Antony Partos | Nominated | |
Best Soundtrack Album | Michael Lira, Jono Ma, Antony Partos, Irine Vela | Won | ||
Best Television Theme | Antony Partos | Won | ||
Virgin Media TV Awards [48] | Best Actress | Melissa George | Nominated |
The Region 4 DVD and Blu-ray was released on 1 December 2011. [49] [50] [51]
The Region 2 DVD was released on 9 January 2012. [52]
The accompanying paperback book was released on 24 August 2011: Tsiolkas, Christos (2011). The Slap. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1-74237-560-1. [53]
An eight-episode adaptation of The Slap premiered on NBC on 12 February 2015, [54] in which Melissa George reprised her role of Rosie.
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