True Crime: Strange and Stranger

“Landscapers”
Susan and Chris Edwards were a devoted couple who lived a quiet life in London and later in France. In 2013 they were ordered home by British police and arrested for killing Susan’s parents 15 years earlier and burying them in their backyard garden.
Their story is told in four compelling episodes. The first three alternate between the interrogation and the backstory, from their marriage up to the killing. Susan was a dreamer, obsessed with Hollywood films, particularly Westerns; Chris was more grounded. In one scene she gazes at a simple line between a sofa and a wall and sees a fantasy horizon and a plain on which they are riding horses. “I can’t ride a horse,” Chris says.
The crime is no fantasy; is it murder or a provoked manslaughter? This haunting production unfolds as a love story, a tragic one but not without its comic moments. It moves seamlessly from reality to scenes from Susan’s movies and back. Susan is played brilliantly by Olivia Colman (“The Crown,” “The Favourite”). David Thewlis plays Chris and is more than her equal.
The final episode is part courtroom drama and part Hollywood fantasy. In the dock, Chris calls Susan fragile; she says, “I’m not fragile, I’m broken.” In the end they are both dreamers, the last ones standing in a fantasy Western gunfight. And Chris is on a horse. Stream on HBO Max.
“The Investigation”
On Aug. 10, 2017, Kim Wall, an attractive Swedish journalist, boarded a small submarine to interview its owner, Peter Madsen. The submarine sank and was found the next day. Madsen was rescued from the water. There was no trace of Wall until weeks later when her torso, filled with stab wounds, washed ashore.
This Danish miniseries tells the story of the painstaking effort to find justice for Kim’s family. Copenhagen head of homicide Jens Moller (Soren Malling) leads the team of investigators; they are sure that Madsen is guilty of murder, but he cannot be convicted without firm evidence. That includes finding the rest of Kim’s body. In episode four, a crew of frogmen, led by cadaver dogs and an oceanographer, scour the bottom of the sea searching for Kim’s head and limbs.
Directed by Tobias Lindholm, who wrote the popular political series “Borgen,” the tone here is pure Scandinavian noir. The landscape is bleak, skies are gray, dialogue is stripped to the bone, and there is little attempt at characterization. The pace is as measured as the investigation, at times frustratingly slow. But it is worth watching. The scenes at sea are breathtaking. Despite the lurid details, it is a restrained and absorbing example of careful Danish justice, which leads to a conviction and life sentence for the killer. Stream on HBO Max, rent on Amazon.
“When They See Us”
Criminal justice can be more like the Wild West in the U.S., as dramatized in this powerful miniseries about the 1989 Central Park Jogger case. A woman is sexually assaulted in the park; the NYPD quickly arrests five Black and Latino teenagers, and harsh and lengthy interrogation pressures them into confessions.
Despite the lack of any substantive evidence or DNA matches, they are convicted. Donald Trump buys full-page ads saying, “Bring back the death penalty. I hate these murderers.” Many say the ads poisoned the minds of New Yorkers and played a role in the convictions. All five serve years in prison before this miscarriage of justice is corrected, and the case is recognized as an example of reckless police work and racial profiling.
Creator Ava DuVernay packs this complex story into four fast-paced, eye-opening episodes. Her show and its young ensemble actors won critical acclaim and many Emmy nominations. Stream on Netflix.
On Saturday, Sept. 6, from 12 to 5 p.m., Rock Steady Farm in Millerton opens its fields once again for the third annual Farm Fall Block Party, a vibrant, heart-forward gathering of queer and BIPOC farmers, neighbors, families, artists, and allies from across the Hudson Valley and beyond.
Co-hosted with Catalyst Collaborative Farm, The Watershed Center, WILDSEED Community Farm & Healing Village, and Seasoned Delicious Foods, this year’s party promises its biggest celebration yet. Part harvest festival, part community reunion, the gathering is a reflection of the region’s rich agricultural and cultural ecosystem.
Rooted in justice and joy, the event will feature over 25 local vendors and organizations, live performances, healing workshops, family-friendly activities (yes, there’s a bouncy castle), and abundant local food. And while the festivities are certainly reason enough to show up, organizers remind us the purpose runs deeper.
“This isn’t just a party. It’s a place to build the kind of relationships that keep our food system alive,” said Maggie Cheney, Rock Steady’s co-founder and worker-owner. “We’re creating space where farmers, growers, families, and community organizers can connect, celebrate, and support one another.”
Proceeds from the event support Rock Steady’s POLLINATE program for queer and trans BIPOC beginning farmers, as well as Catalyst Collaborative Farm’s food justice initiatives. With sliding-scale tickets from $5 to $250, the organizers aim to make the event accessible to all, including free entry for children under 12 and volunteer options for those who want to pitch in.
For those who’ve attended before, it’s a welcome return. For newcomers, it may just feel like coming home.
More info and tickets: rocksteadyfarm.com/farm-block-party
Waterlily (8”x12”) made by Marilyn Hock
It takes a lot of courage to share your art for the first time and Marilyn Hock is taking that leap with her debut exhibition at Sharon Town Hall on Sept. 12. A realist painter with a deep love for wildlife, florals, and landscapes, Hock has spent the past few years immersed in watercolor, teaching herself, failing forward, and returning again and again to the page. This 18-piece collection is a testament to courage, practice and a genuine love for the craft.
“I always start with the eyes,” said Hock of her animal portraits. “That’s where the soul lives.” This attentiveness runs through her work, each piece rendered with care, clarity, and a respect for the subtle variations of color and light in the natural world.
After painting in oils earlier in life, Hock returned to art when she retired from working as a paralegal with a goal: to learn watercolor. It wasn’t easy.
“Oils and watercolor are opposites,” she explained. “With oils, you build your darks first. In watercolor, if you do that, you’re in trouble.” She studied online, finding instructors whose approach clicked, and adapted to the delicacy of the medium.
“When I’m working, everything else falls away,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what’s going on in life. While I’m painting, time disappears.”
Her studio, formerly a home office, is now her sanctuary and the pieces in this exhibition are the result of three years of that devoted studio work. While this is her first full public show, Hock previously tested the waters at a small fundraiser at Noble Horizons, where one of her pieces sold. That experience — and the consistent encouragement from her family, especially her husband — pushed her to pursue a full exhibition. With gentle encouragement from her husband and family, Hock reached out to the Town Hall’s curator, Zelina Blagden. “My husband kept saying, ‘You’re as good as all those other people out there, why not show your work?’” And so, here it is.
All paintings in the show are for sale, though Hock admits a few are priced high — not because of their size or complexity — but because she’s not quite ready to let them go. “There are a couple I’ve priced high because I’m not sure I want to part with them. But we’ll see,” she laughed. “It would be nice to support the habit a little bit.”
As for aspiring artists or anyone hesitating to begin something creative, Hock’s advice is simple: “Go for it. If it fails, toss it in the basket and start over.”
The exhibit will be on view at Sharon Town Hall through Oct. 31 with an opening reception on Sept. 12 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
Carissa Unite, general manager of Oblong Books in Millerton.
Carissa Unite of Millerton, began working at Oblong Books 16 years ago as a high schooler. She recently celebrated her eight-year anniversary as the general manager.
Unite’s journey at Oblong began even before she applied for her first position.An avid reader from a young age, she was a frequent customer at the store. During those years, Unite bonded with a former employee who encouraged her to apply for a position after connecting over their shared love of reading.
As a teenager, Unite enjoyed reading Ellen Hopkins, John Green and Ann Brashares. With the busyness of adulthood, she now favors the convenience of audio books. In the past year, however, she has made it a point to read more physical books.
With a preference for contemporary fiction, she raved about “Atmosphere” by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The story, set in the 1980s, follows two women who become astronauts at a time when women were not widely accepted in the field. A beautiful love story emerges between the two characters. Unite described the writing as sensational and commended Reid’s ability to tackle complex themes without them being muddied.
Unite has developed a deep appreciated for classic literature. Her two favorites are “Giovanni’s Room” by James Baldwin and “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde. She was amazed by the philosophical nature of both words and the way their dialogue challenged her perspective.
In an effort to read beyond her preferred genre, she recommends the following:
“Some Desperate Glory,” by Emily Tesh, “Midnight Rooms,” by Donyae Coles and “Clear” by Carys Davies.
For Unite, the beauty of reading lies in its power to develop perspective, empathy, and compassion. Through books, readers learn that everyone is fighting different battles and no two stories are the same. She encourages people to choose kindness because you never know what someone else is facing.
Above all, reading brings Unite peace. If offers transcendence to another world, a pause from outside noise, and for Unite, it is where she feels most at home.
For anyone hesitant to being reading, Unite suggests: just do it! Read 10 pages a day and find the book that speaks to you. Any Oblong staff member would be happy to offer recommendations.
Oblong is located at 26 Main St., in Millerton and 6422 Montgomery St. in Rhinebeck.