Totenfrau

The way the story slowly reveals the depths within the main character is stimulating in this story. It's got a revenge thread through it but I found the unfolding of the main character more interesting.

Ultimately the series is very satisfying. The protagonist dances with the multiple antagonists. One ups the other, then back again, like a game of tennis. Our 'hero' protagonist has a riveting journey form the viewer perspective. But the thing is, is she really a hero?

The whole film is well cast with the perfect villains and victims. There's some nasty torture implications in this, but these scenes are not so explicit thankfully.

Summary

A very Austrian thriller that goes from black humor to moments of enormous violence and others that border on terror, with a charismatic protagonist who reactivates her dark facets. An interesting look at the genesis of certain adult criminal behaviors resulting from impunity.

Review

Brünhilde Blum (the very German Anna Maria Mühe) is the owner of a funeral home in a tourist town in the Austrian Tyrol. After the death of her policeman's husband in an alleged accident, the widow begins a relentless search for those she considers guilty.

Several common topics in Central European police officers reappear in this thriller: trafficking in women, pornography, powerful businessmen linked to tourist interests, police corruption, lodges.

But the strength of the series is its protagonist: Blum does not follow the "correct" path to clarify the death of her husband, but one that reactivates dark facets that were already part of her, with an attitude that is also related to someone accustomed to dealing with with corpses. Brünhilde is an investigative force and an amateur and for this reason she progresses somewhat stumbling (and with few concessions from the script), but always with enormous audacity, in a very Austrian story that goes from black humor to moments of enormous violence and others. Bordering on terror. And all with the beautiful winter setting of the Austrian Alps.

On the other hand, and last but not least, the series is an interesting example of the genesis of certain adult criminal behaviors resulting from impunity.

The series does not have a sexy protagonist in hig heels, but a good sporty woman with a real live.

She has a fulltime job, two kids and is happily married.

She has a wealthy background, because here family is the coroner of that area since a few generations.

All of a sudden here relaxed live changes dramatically due to an accident. Accident?

After that accident live is diffrent a some here in the forum think its strange, that she hops on the ducati and can really drive it at high speeds.

Well honestl, whats so special about that? Nothing, as she is not a "City biker", If you are grown up in the mountains and have been driving a motorbike when you where young, then you will defenitly know how to handle a bike, as the mountains dont excuse flaws and on the other hand, give you a lot of training ground when you are young.

The element of the motorbike was taken, to show the break in here live, after the strong cut due to the accident.

Until that moment, she was living a secure normal mom live, with low riscs, to keep the family save since the birth of her daughter.

Now she feels, she has to wake up and take things in here own hands again and she does that very impressive.

The series is absolutly worth the time watching it (including some dexter fun), Have fun!

I liked the main character and binge watched the whole series, I wasn't disappointed. There's many layers to the plot and I don't think I could have predicted where it went. It's not just about revenge but also about a woman who is hell bent on revenge trying to juggle her family at the same time. She has her own personal issues too. I'd love to see another series in the future, I would certainly watch it. It's probably not aimed at the younger generation but an older one. It's more like midsummer murders on steroids. The scenery is beautiful and all the characters play their parts well. I enjoyed it.

A surprisingly remarkable Austrian film. I've watched revenge movies before but this one is something new to offer by way of an intriguing storyline.

It's a great character study. Brunhilde Blum's journey from a quiet, contented wife and mortician to a remorseless avenger is compelling. You feel her quiet rage as she proceeds to hunt down, one by one, those respectable people responsible for the murder of her dear husband. All this taking place while she cares for her children and managing her funeral home. And the revenge is spectacular.

That she's able to talk to dead people as sounding board, whilst not a unique plot device, is darkly humorous as done here.

Quite competent actors. And the mountainscape as captured in film is short of mesmerizing.

Moralists might be disturbed by the message of the film as it seems to glorify impunity. But life is never easy; never black or white. Each is answerable ultimately for his/her actions.