I didn't realize it, until I looked it up on IMDb: This is not a series, but a TV-film. And what a waste THAT is. Empathy really left me craving for more, an effect 'series' seldom have on me (Cracker being a notable exception). Ever heard of a cliffhanger? Exactly the reason why I haven't awarded it my full nine stars. The interest of Empathy lies not in its handling of the theme of clairvoyance. In that respect it's rather bland: ex-prisoner, convicted of murder, feels that his 'gift' for clairvoyance is actually a curse on which he has to act to redeem himself. My feeling is that here the story is turning rather Christian. My point: Christianity being one of the footholds of our contemporary ethics, it's easy to have a protagonist search for true human values in that area. In other words: this is exactly where clairvoyance does NOT put our contemporary ideas into perspective. Considering the above-said, why award it eight stars anyway? Well, the true interest lies in its display of raw human emotion. The drama which envelopes because the protagonist knows (by means of a handshake) what the deepest buried secrets of the 'handshakee' are, leaves a lot of room for anger, split-second reflection and confession. And this is where this TV-film turns interesting. I say only one thing (spoiler alert): The moment when the teacher confesses his guilt is an amazing way to underline human complexity. But a cliffhanger reeks after literary technique, so I'm still hoping it's a pilot.
Review of Empathy
