Kenneth Branagh is back as Wallander in "Wallander: A Lesson in Love" as the fourth and final season nears its end.
After Wallander is attacked on the street, he begins to investigate the murder of a widow, Erika Hjelmqvist, whose daughter Hannah has disappeared.
Erika had an ongoing altercation with her tenants, a group of bikers. One of the biker's sons, Pontus, comes under suspicion. Wallander finds out that the daughter was in care and also that she had a boyfriend that her mother didn't know about.
He also has a visit from an old girlfriend, which gives him a small break.
Meanwhile, he sees a doctor, afraid that he is developing dementia like his father.The doctor assures him that he's fine. But Kurt is forgetful and confused, and it can't all be due to the head injury he suffered in the attack.
I think sobering is the right word for this dark, atmospheric episode with a Swedish sensibility and beautiful cinematography. Kenneth Branagh is wonderful as the frustrated and frightened Wallander. Also it's nice to see him with his granddaughter, though one can tell he feels inferior next to his daughter's-in-law father, who has more money.
Branagh gives us a complex character, which is my major complaint about the series of films regarding Jesse Stone in which Tom Selleck plays a morose town sheriff. You can't just not smile and speak slowly and think you're creating a character. Branagh tugs at the heart and keeps on tugging, even after the episode.
