Der Wald

Occasionally, I like "mini-binge watching netflix" with my wife on the weekend. One of my gripes about most series is that they start strong but eventually the story line degenerates into a typical soap opera, the premise is lost, the series drags on and on, and the conclusion(if they ever get to one) is unsatisfactory.

That does NOT happen in the little gem.

This series is short enough that you can get the satisfaction of finishing it over a weekend. The story is really good with enough layers to keep things interesting, the acting/character development is great, and the very final scene/conclusion is good.

It's dubbed, (french language movie) but after one episode, you won't even notice it.

Well done.

A satisfying binge. I highly recommend watching this while NOT folding the laundry. That way you can be present for the entire story and enjoy the excellent acting and well-told, suspenseful murder mystery.

What another reviewer identifies as "tropes" were not actually dramatized as such -- the female detective did not get more involved or emotional than you would expect for someone searching for her missing daughter (filmmakers were actually quite restrained in how they presented this). Also, there weren't any of the stereotypical ego clashes between the outsider and the insiders on the police force. The new captain did indeed recently move to town and only the first episode depicted the awkwardness of this dynamic, and what was shown would be natural to this plot detail. It wasn't an ongoing part of the story in the way it would be on a prime time American drama. In fact, I enjoyed that there wasn't any development of the stereotypical "clash" between the new captain and his staff (that would have been a trope).

I would say this show is on par with Broadchurch in terms of acting and production quality but with a slightly more simplistic and traditional story and resolution. Most implausibilities had decent explanations and probably more so than do the typical crime drama. The acting and unfolding of the story were nuanced, and restraint was used with plot details that could have become cliche.

I especially enjoyed the story's two intertwined layers - the search for the missing girls and the teacher's search for her identity.

It was worth watching but not really super captivating. There were a number of good characters and interesting subplots, but Virginia - who is pretty much the main character - is the worst police officer in history and in any realistic scenario would have been thrown off the case and probably out of the force by her new boss within the first day.

This six part French series is set in a village in the Ardennes where a sixteen year old girl, Jennifer Lenoir, has gone missing. Leading the investigation is Captain Gaspard Deke, who arrived in the village the day Jennifer went missing. Soon afterwards two more girls vanish, including the adopted daughter of Lt Virginie Musso. Evidence suggests that Jennifer disappeared in the vast forest which surrounds the village. As the series progresses suspects and motives emerge and events occur which will have a profound effect on those involved. A second mystery is provided by a teacher whose true identity is unknown; she was found near the forest as a young child, with no memory of what had happened to her before that.

I found this to be a gripping mystery. The setting is fairly stunning and added to the atmosphere impressively; the forest surrounding the village created a sense of isolation. Having a newly transferred officer lead the investigation serves well to introduce the viewer to the location and its inhabitants as we learn about things as he does. The resolution is satisfying without being too obvious. There are plenty of tense moments, especially towards the end. The cast does a solid job bringing their characters to life. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of subtitled crime drama.

These comments are based on watching the series in French with English subtitles.

I thought this was really well done. Every one of the 6 episodes contained some kind of revelation and cliffhanger that kept me going onto the next one. I binged watched this series in about 3 days and really enjoyed it. Interesting characters and a plot that kept you guessing. Highly recommended.