A grieving mother becomes emotionally attached to a teenage girl who reminds her of her lost daughter: it’s a familiar tale but this British drama has a couple of decent twists. The mother is Anglican priest Rebecca (Catherine McCormack), and the object of her obsession is migrant worker Radka (Marina Stoimenova).The bond between the two is established way too fast, stretching credibility where it really matters, and gymnast-turned-actress Stoimenova can’t match McCormack’s level of conviction. Still, refreshingly, the fact that Rebecca is a vicar is almost beside the point: we see her working, drinking and making love to her husband, rather than preaching at the altar. Dakota Blue Richards (‘Skins’) completes the uneasy triangle as her surviving daughter.
While ‘The Fold’ has something to say about loss and family relationships, it doesn’t probe too deeply, instead establishing an air of mystery in keeping with its brooding Cornish coastal setting. There are ideas here to admire, but the execution requires an audience ready and willing to fill in the blanks.