The French do this sort of soap-like familial crime dramas so well, and the somewhat cumbersomely titled ‘All This I Will Give To You' is no exception to the norm.
If you want to avoid all spoilers, stop reading this article now.
Manuel Ortigosa is a famous author residing in his stunning Paris apartment, when he receives a visit from the police. His husband, Aymeric, who he believed was in Brussels on a business trip, has been the victim of a car accident when his vehicle left the road in the south of France.
Understandably Manuel – played superbly by David Kammenos (who you might recognise from the new Apple TV series, ‘The New Look', about Coco Chanel and Christian Dior) – is distraught at the death of his husband, but is even more perplexed when he discovers that the man he’s been married to for years has a wealthy family that owns a successful vineyard in Provence.
The said family are a despicable bunch of privileged homophobes and entitled bigots, so when they learn that Aymeric was married to a man they’re shocked and outraged. When the family’s lawyer reads the will – a scene that is pure Agatha Christie – the news that Aymeric has left all responsibility for the vineyard to his husband is met with predictable fury.
Leading the unpleasantness is La Marquise, the mother of Aymeric and his somewhat unhinged brother, Joffrey. A third brother had taken his own life six months previously, leading some to believe that the family is cursed in some way.
Meanwhile, there’s a copper – Richard Saugier (played by the fabulously named Bruno Solo) – on the eve of his retirement who has suspicions about the car accident that took Aymeric’s life. The incident occurred on a straight road, the weather was fine, there were no skid marks, and there was white paint on the rear of Aymeric’s car, suggesting he might have been pushed off the road. But the wealthy and connected family seem reluctant to allow a full autopsy and request that his body is returned immediately.
But Saugier can’t let his suspicions lie, so on his final day of employment, he steals some case files and starts his own investigation into the dysfunctional family.
This is quite a slow-moving drama and has its fair share of cliches (particularly the almost-retired police officer who doesn’t play by the rules). The characters are a bit two-dimensional, and the script is only so-so. But having said all that, it’s still a very enjoyable watch. The storyline is genuinely intriguing and I’m eager to know what becomes of Manuel and Saugier in their search for the truth about Aymeric’s death and his unconventional family.
I think this’ll be a slow burner; but give it time, because I get the sense this’ll be worth it in the long run.
Walter Presents: ‘All This I Will Give To You' is available as a boxset on C4 Streaming now.
