The State episode one - Peter Kosminsky proves that the devil is in the detail - review
"It’s 2015,” went the scene-setting caption at the start of The State (Channel 4). “Men and women from all over the world are travelling to Syria to join the Islamic State.”
This wasn’t a piece of hard-hitting reportage, however. It was fiction – albeit from renowned writer/director Peter Kosminsky, whose award-laden CV includes political dramas The Government Inspector and The Project, alongside superlative Tudor saga Wolf Hall.
We followed four young Brits leaving their lives behind to fight for Isil. These weren’t the radicalised, maniacal monsters of Western myth. They were largely sympathetic figures, or at least recognisably human ones.
Jalal (Sam Otto) was trying to live up to his martyred brother’s eulogised reputation and had persuaded best friend Ziyaad (Ryan McKen) to accompany him on this “adventure”. Single mother Shakira (Ony Uhiara) wanted to deploy her skills as a junior doctor in a Raqqa hospital. Idealistic teenager Ushna (Shavani Cameron) had her imagination fired by fierce online doctrines.
Shot in Kosminsky’s trademark gritty style, we watched the recruits cross into Syria under cover of darkness. Their initial excitement was soon quelled by the harsh realities of life under Isil. The men were swept up in the camaraderie of combat training before facing the sobering prospect of jihad, while the women were introduced to the society’s strict rules. Something tells me that Shakira’s medical ambitions will be thwarted and her sweet nine-year-old son Isaac might bring her to her senses.
The devil was in the details. The burning of passports meant no going back. Jalal reluctantly deleted photos of his mother from his phone because her head wasn’t covered. They struggled to eat without cutlery and use communal toilets. Flashes of UK street slang (“blud”, “innit”, “merk”) were a frequent reminder of their journey.
This wasn’t easy viewing but it was eye-openingly powerful. Based on exhaustive research and first-hand accounts, its authenticity shone through. The State’s four episodes are running on consecutive evenings – “mini-binge” scheduling which means viewers feel fully immersed. The cast were convincing, the stories compelling. This was the sort of bold programming that Channel 4 was founded for.
Is Kosminsky a terror apologist or was this a cautionary tale? I’d argue the latter. Either way, this unflinching series looks set to be one of the year’s most debated dramas.
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