There is a silence heavier than words. A courtroom. A face holding back tears. A question with no easy answer: what remains of justice when memory turns into guilt? This is how Black Earth Rising opens, pulling viewers into the still-open wounds of the Rwandan genocide.
A co-production between BBC Two and Netflix, starring Michaela Coel and John Goodman, the series is a gripping and necessary journey through denied truths and fractured identities. The trailer is at the bottom of the article.
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Eight episodes that avoid cheap shocks, instead offering a profound confrontation with history. Hugo Blick — already known for The Honourable Woman — crafts a narrative that moves like a moral inquiry: cold on the surface, yet burning with emotion. Every line of dialogue feels like a fragment of consciousness; every image, a piece of truth emerging from the darkness.
The protagonist, Kate Ashby, played by the extraordinary Michaela Coel, is a survivor of the Rwandan genocide, adopted by the brilliant British lawyer Eve Ashby (Harriet Walter). Now a legal investigator, Kate is forced to face her past when an international case brings her face-to-face with a general accused of war crimes. The wound reopens, and the story unfolds with intense emotional stakes.
Dense and layered, the plot blends political thriller with psychological drama. There are no absolute heroes or villains — everything exists in shades of gray, where international justice is a goal, not a guarantee. The show moves like an emotional labyrinth, demanding the viewer’s full attention.
Michaela Coel delivers a magnetic performance, her face a battlefield of anger and clarity, fear and a relentless desire for truth. John Goodman adds weight as lawyer Michael Ennis, a steady moral compass in a world of uncertainty, while the supporting cast — from Noma Dumezweni to Lucian Msamati — brings authenticity and depth to every scene.
Blick’s direction is precise and restrained, almost documentary-like: silences, flashbacks, and static shots create moral pressure with every frame. Dark cinematography, elliptical editing, and a measured soundtrack build a world where every detail carries the weight of evidence in a trial.
At its thematic core, Black Earth Rising is about memory as resistance. The series interrogates the West’s role in African conflicts, revealing how public truth often conceals private pain. Individual experiences and History reflect one another, leaving a haunting question: who truly has the right to forgive?
This miniseries shuns rhetoric in favor of listening, allowing space for interpretation, contradiction, and doubt. It’s television that challenges rather than comforts, a reminder that remembering is itself an act of courage.
Ultimately, Black Earth Rising offers no easy answers. It leaves a silence that resonates, a vision to confront rather than consume, and an invitation to look where humanity often chooses to look away.
Black Earth Rising – all the key details
- Original Title: Black Earth Rising
- Genre: Political thriller, psychological drama
- Country of Production: United Kingdom/USA
- Year of Release: 2018
- Director: Hugo Blick
- Main Cast: Michaela Coel, John Goodman, Harriet Walter, Noma Dumezweni, Lucian Msamati
- Production: BBC Two/Netflix
- Netflix Release Date: available now for streaming
► WATCH ON NETFLIX: Official Black Earth Rising page
In the meantime, enjoy the trailer.
