Gareth Smith writes a bilingual review of Fflam, the latest offering from S4C that marks the channel out as a force to be reckoned with in the field of original television drama.
It doesn’t feel like an exaggeration to say that S4C has experienced something of a drama renaissance over the last few years. Co-productions with the BBC have resulted in several big hits, including Y Gwyll, Un Bore Mercher, Craith and Bang, and these shows have elevated the profile of Welsh-language television with moody thrillers, engaging mysteries and plenty of picturesque locations. Fflam demonstrates their influence in its construction and tone but also offers something different from its bilingual counterparts. Adapted from a story by Gwenno Hughes, it promises to serve up several familiar elements with a distinct flavour of its own.
The bare bones of the plot will seem vaguely familiar to fans of thrillers – a woman starts to believe her dead husband is still alive – but this is fleshed out by several intriguing subplots and a collection of engaging characters. Noni (Gwyneth Keyworth) is an ambiguous, temperamental character who bears little resemblance to the bland and functional protagonists that sometimes populate TV crime dramas. Her complex relationship with Turkish boyfriend Deniz (Memet Ali Alabora), his sister Ekin (Pinar Ögün) and her girlfriend Malan (Mali Ann Rees) also fits oddly within the central mystery, suggesting that the story might develop in unexpected directions. The attempt to explore immigrant experiences within Wales, and specifically within Welsh-language drama, also seems a particularly promising thread.
The most unusual element of the show is the strange fixation on food which punctuates the narrative. Noni’s (apparently) dead husband was a chef and her suspicions are first aroused by a culinary clue in the shape of a distinctly cooked fish. While this aspect of the drama might become silly over subsequent episodes, here it works as a novel and unnerving means of conveying a ghostly presence. The role that food, kitchens and cooking will ultimately play in the drama remains to be seen, but it certainly allows Fflam to stand out a little in a crowded field.
As with many Welsh dramas, viewers are likely to spend most of the time recognising actors from other programmes. Whether this is recalling Keyworth from her role as a loose cannon in Bang or Rees as hilariously deadpan in Tourist Trap, the show demonstrates both how small the industry is and the variety of talent within it. With such a small cast, performances need to be solid but the first episode suggests that the leads will be able to carry the show with ease.
Unlike most dramas, Fflam will be broadcast in half-hour instalments. In the first episode, this works well and allows the show to keep up a tense pace without giving too much away. Whether it can maintain the momentum – and conclude its central mystery effectively – will play out over the next five weeks, but it has plenty of potential. S4C certainly seem to have a template for their dramas, tending heavily towards domestic noir and gritty crime thrillers, but Fflam demonstrates that, as long as they are done well, our appetite for them will continue.
*
Mae’n deg i ddweud bod S4C wedi cael atgyfodiad o ddrama dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf. Mae cyd-gynyrchyddion gyda’r BBC wedi arwain at sawl llwyddiant, fel Y Gwyll, Un Bore Mercher, Craith a Bang, ac mae’r sioeau hyn wedi codi proffil teledu Cymraeg gyda straeon cyffrous, dirgelion diddorol a digon o leoliadau prydferth. Mae Fflam yn arddangos dylanwad y sioeau hyn yn eu hadeiladwaith a’u tôn ond mae hefyd yn cynnig rhywbeth gwahanol i’r rhaglenni dwyieithog. Wedi’i haddasu o stori gan Gwenno Hughes, mae’n cynnig sawl elfen gyfarwydd gyda blas unigryw ei hun.
Bydd sylfaen y plot yn gyfarwydd i wylwyr dirgelion teledu – mae menyw yn dechrau credu bod ei gŵr ymadawedig dal yn fyw – ond mae Fflam yn adeiladu ar hwn gydag elfennau a chymeriadau gafaelgar. Mae Noni (Gwyneth Keyworth) yn amheus ac anianol – yn wahanol i’r prif gymeriadau ystrydebol sy fel aml yn poblogi straeon fel hyn. Nid yw perthynas gymhleth Non gyda chariad Twrcaidd Deniz, (Memet Ali Alabora), ei chwaer Ekin (Pinar Ögün) a’i gariad Malan (Mali Ann Rees) yn cysylltu â’r dirgelwch canolog, sy’n awgrymu bydd y stori yn datblygu mewn cyfarwyddiadau anarferol. Mae’r ymgais i archwilio profiadau mewnfudwyr yng Nghymru, ac yn benodol o fewn drama iaith Gymraeg, yn addawol hefyd.
Mae’r elfen fwyaf unigryw yn y rhaglen yn dod o’r canolbwynt ar fwyd sy’n rhedeg trwy’r naratif. Cogydd oedd gwr Noni ac mae cliw coginiol, mewn siâp pysgodyn gyda blas arbennig, yn rhoi gwybod iddi fod e dal yn fyw. Efallai bydd yr elfen hon yn edrych yn wirion yn y penodau i ddod, ond yma mae fe’n gweithio fel ffordd effeithiol i dangos presenoldeb brawychus. Nad yw’n sicr eto pa rôl bydd bwyd, ceginau a choginio yn chwarae yn y ddrama yn y pen draw, ond mae’n galluogi Fflam i sefyll allan.
Fel llawer o ddramâu Cymraeg, bydd gwylwyr yn debygol o dreulio’r rhan fwyaf o’r amser yn gweld wynebau cyfarwydd o raglenni eraill. Mae gweld Keyworth, a oedd yn wyllt yn Bang, neu Rees, sy mor ddoniol yn Tourist Trap, yn atgoffa bod y diwydiant yn fach iawn ond hefyd yn llawn talent. Gyda grŵp bach o gymeriadau mae angen i’r perfformiadau bod yn bwerus, ond mae’r bennod gyntaf yn dangos gallant nhw gyflawni hwn heb ymdrech.
Yn wahanol i’r mwyafrif o ddramâu, mae Fflam yn rhaglen hanner awr. Yn y bennod gyntaf, mae hyn yn gweithio’n dda ac yn cadw’r stori yn symud ymlaen heb roi gormod o wybodaeth. A all y penodau eraill cadw’r tensiwn a datrys y dirgelwch yn foddhaol dros y pum wythnos nesaf? Mae’n edrych yn addawol. Mae’n amlwg bod patrwm gan S4C ar gyfer eu dramâu, yn tueddu yn tuag at noir domestig, ond mae Fflam yn dangos, os maen nhw wedi gwneud yn dda, bydd ein harchwaeth amdanyn nhw’n parhau.
Fflam is on S4C at 9pm on Wednesdays. To catch up on previous episodes, visit S4C Clic.
