I used to own a lovely Alfa Romeo. Everything about how it looked shouted Italian classical beauty. Aesthetically, it was a stunning car. But look more closely, and the electrics were rubbish, the finish a bit slap-dash, and when it came to being reliable, well – frankly – it wasn’t.
If you want to avoid all spoilers, stop reading this article now.
I mention this because there’s a certain parallel between my old banger and this new Italian series from Walter Presents. Visually, ‘Don’t Leave Me’ (‘Non mi lasciare’ in Italian) is a feast for the eyeballs. But when you dig a little deeper, perhaps it’s not quite the complete package.
Set in the most beautiful city in the world, Venice, the story centres around the death of a young boy, whose body is dragged from a Venetian canal – his backpack stuffed full of rocks to keep his body from floating to the surface. Initial thoughts around suicide are discarded and a murder investigation gets underway.
Deputy Commissioner Elena Zonin (Vittoria Puccini) is brought in to oversee the investigation. But inevitably, the cop who discovered the body is an ex-flame of Elena’s – Daniele Vianello (Alessandro Roja). He has moved on from their relationship and now has a wife (Elena’s one-time best friend Giulia, played by Sarah Felberbaum) with whom he has two kids and a third on the way.
Elena’s involvement is because she believes that the boy’s death is related to a criminal organisation involved in grooming young children; so her focus is on the bigger picture, trying to get to the paedophiles masterminding this nationwide operation. Daniele, however, is more sympathetic to the concerns of the boy’s family, who are clearly traumatised by the death. Therefore, we have this clash in attitudes and approach to the case, whilst underneath is the simmering passion still lingering from their previous relationship.
There are clearly a number of backstories which aren’t fully fleshed-out after one episode – for example, questions about Elena’s past and why she disappeared from Daniele and Giulia’s lives. We also witness another young boy, who is clearly the next intended victim of the gang, being lured by an on-line conversation.
The real stars of this show are clearly the canals and buildings of Venice; and the stunning and creative camerawork that shows the city off in all its beauty. However, the storyline doesn’t – at this stage, at least – offer anything original or noteworthy. It lacks the humour and engagement of something like ‘Montalbano’, and the characters are relatively two-dimensional and uninteresting. And – a minor thing perhaps – but what’s with the title? Who is leaving whom? It’s instantly forgettable as a title and doesn’t really relate to the series.
But, ‘Don’t Leave Me’ comes from the same creators who gave us ‘Gomorrah’ and ‘Zero Zero Zero’ – so there’s some pedigree there. Perhaps it will pick up as the eight episodes develop.
Walter Presents: ‘Don’t Leave Me’ launches its first episode on Channel 4 on 16th April at 11.15pm. The full boxset is available on Walter Presents via All 4 from Friday, 14th April.
