An art exhibition that turns into a crime scene. Real-life artists becoming suspects in an imaginary tale. Dramatic costumes and lavish sets and a nod to more than 40 high-profile works of art? This is not a Murder Mystery has it all.
It seems fitting that for a series set in the 1930s, featuring leading surrealist artists, writers Christophe Dirickx and Paul Baeten and director Hans Herbots took some real-life places, people and paintings, and then, as Herbots says, “ran with it”.
”The biggest challenge in making This Is Not a Murder Mystery was creating our own universe, populated by figures everyone knows, and running with it. The suspension of disbelief had to be pushed to the limit, which was an incredibly creative starting point for a director – perfect for unleashing yourself completely. It was a joy to find, together with the actors, the right balance between drama, the surreal, and the comical,” Herbots (known for Riviera and Paris Has Fallen) says.
“We drew inspiration from the work of Baz Luhrmann – The Great Gatsby and Moulin Rouge were never far from our minds during prep – but also from Wes Anderson and Kenneth Branagh with Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile. And of course, the works of our own artists were an inexhaustible source of inspiration. The blend of all these influences gave the series something truly distinctive.“
The six-part series, set in 1936 (and based on an idea by Dirickx and Marrhias Lebeer, who co-directed two episodes), see young René Magritte (Pierre Gervais) and Salvador Dali (Iñaki Mur) trapped in a lavish English mansion with a mysterious serial killer on the loose.
The pair, along with war reporter and photographer Lee Miller (Florence Hall) and artists Man Ray (Frank Bourke) and Max Ernst (Mike Hoffmann) – also on the brink of fame – have come to an impressive English estate owned by flamboyant Lord James (Aoibhinn McGinnity) for a private art exhibition. After a wild night, Magritte wakes up to the dead body of a young woman, with no memory of the events of the previous evening. A suspect along with the other guests and various staff, he’ll find himself working to clear his name as Scotland Yard detectives DCI Thistlethwaite (Stephen Tompkinson) and DC Quant (Donna Banya) are called to investigate the murder.
The bare bones of the story suggest it could be a typical historical cosy crime story, but this is far more lush and vibrant, not least because of the impressive settings and costumes.
“The costumes and makeup in this series are a story of their own: it was the first time I saw characters being sculpted through countless tests - the forehead of Magritte had to be smaller, Picasso’s nose bigger, the wave in Man Ray’s hair was difficult to capture. Sheila’s cut [Sheila Legge, Lord James’s niece], Lee Miller’s style, the iconic look of Lord James… all choices that evolved in the months leading up to the shoot, step by step helping to bring the characters to life,” Herbots says.
“That’s the beauty of making a series set in the past: everything you see on screen is a choice. From the smallest prop to a character’s scarf, shoes, or socks - details that help tell the story. Each one had to be discussed in depth.”
Costume designer Charlotte Willems sees clothing as a way to capture emotion, to stir emotions without a word, and in this series, a lot of thought went into conveying a sense of freedom and decadence. “This Is Not a Murder Mystery immediately felt like a gift: a wonderful script and a brilliant idea that playfully weaves fiction with reality, slowly guiding you into a
surrealist world. I began this project with a mood book – a collection of colours, paintings, and photographs that together evoked the atmosphere of the costumes. I shared this visual story with my team and further developed it alongside Production Designer Bart Van Loo. His eye for detail, his sense of space and atmosphere, consistently elevate my ideas.
“From the very beginning, it was clear we wanted to create something fresh and unexpected: bold prints, rich colours, artistic flair and a strong dose of surrealism. The costumes had to radiate the energy of freedom, summer, luxury, sensuality and decadence …
“For me, it has always been about more than just clothing: it’s a way to capture emotion, to make an atmosphere tangible, and to draw the viewer’s imagination deeper into the story … Like music, costume carries that invisible power to stir emotions without uttering a single word.”
Make-up and hair designer Kaatje Van Damme says the actors enthusiastically embraced becoming their characters.
“The fittings were a delight. The first actor I worked with was Regina Bikkinina. Although she bore no resemblance to Gala, Dalí’s wife, the test was a success and she was cast in the role. From that moment on, it became an exciting challenge to transform the other actors – without prosthetics, relying only on makeup, wigs, or hairpieces – into believable versions of their characters.
“Each new casting sparked our creativity, and the actors fully embraced their transformations. For a few months, they truly became their characters.”
The setting, too, involved far more than meets the eye. While the characters are mostly in lock-down in an English mansion, finding suitable locations to recreate the rooms and grounds took the team across Europe.
“We embarked on a long search across Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels, and Waterford in Ireland to find our perfect match. The result is that when Magritte walks from the basement kitchen through the living room to his suite, in reality he travels from Waleffe in Wallonia, through Ireland, and all the way to Limburg,” Herbots explains.
For art fans, there are also more than 40 memorable pieces of art to spot. Alongside work by Magritte, Dalí, Miller, Ray and Ernst, the works of Edvard Munch, Frida Kahlo and more are also featured. The creators secured the support of every artist or their heirs.
As the investigation unfolds, more famous names arrive on the scene (Pablo Picasso and Sigmund Freud among them). But whether you’re a fan of surrealist art, or just looking for a vibrantly entertaining whodunit, This is not a Murder Mystery will keep you guessing. After all, with a title like that, it’s clear not everything is what it seems…
This article contains material supplied by Panenka / StudioCanal.
This Is Not A Murder Mystery is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
