What is this?
Billed as New Zealand’s best TV drama in years, After the Party stars Robyn Malcolm as Penny, a woman whose world implodes when she accuses her husband Phil (Peter Mullan) of a sex crime against her daughter’s teenage friend, and nobody believes her.
Five years later, he returns from Scotland and moves in with Penny’s daughter, Grace (Tara Canton) and grandchild. Grace begs her to put the past behind them, but when Phil takes up a teaching position Penny is again compelled to prove his guilt, reopening barely covered wounds in those around her and causing Grace to cut her out of her life. An increasingly alienated Penny is forced to choose what’s more important – the truth or her relationship with her daughter.
Who stars in After the Party?
Robyn Malcolm (Upper Middle Bogan, Harrow, Top of the Lake) recently won Best Actress in Series Mania’s International Panorama in Lille, France, for her role as Penny. The extraordinary Scottish actor Peter Mullan (Ozark, Top of the Lake) stars as Phil. The cast includes Tara Canton, Ian Blackburn, Loren Taylor, Elz Carrad and Dean O’Gorman.
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Who’s the director?
Peter Salmon, who is known for Inside (2020), Wanted (2016) and Nowhere Boys (2013).
Who wrote the show?
Dianne Taylor, alongside Martha Hardy-Ward, Emily Perkins and Samuel E. Shore.
What’s the country of origin?
New Zealand. It is an Australian co-production.
Where was After the Party filmed?
The series was shot in Wellington and Wellington’s south coast beaches and bays and in Mākara, Johnsonville, and Lower Hutt’s Alicetown.
How many episodes?
Six.
What’s the production company?
After the Party is produced by Lingo Pictures (The Secrets She Keeps, The Slap) and Luminous Beast.
Who are the producers?
Helen Bowden, Liz DiFiore and Peter Salmon. Executive Producers are Jason Stephens, Dianne Taylor and Robyn Malcolm.
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Why do we want to watch it?
The series has strong international distribution, and NZ critic Duncan Greive raved about it for The Spinoff, writing: ‘It’s a dark, tense and highly provocative drama which will rattle uneasily around your mind for days. Malcolm’s Penny is an absolute marvel, a middle-aged woman the likes of which I’ve never seen on screen before, boiling, relentless and dangerous to know. Does she refuse to look away from an ordinary household horror? Or can she not admit that her own behaviour caused this wreck? After the Party is in no hurry to reveal its awful secrets, and that makes it the most powerful TV drama we’ve created in years.’
Where and when can I watch After the Party?
After The Party premieres on Sunday 28 April at 8:30pm on ABC TV with all episodes available to stream on ABC iview.
