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In Eldorado, the Swiss filmmaker Markus Imhoof uses his own memories of an Italian refugee girl that stayed with his family during WWII to frame and intersperse his scenes of today's refugees being picked up in the Mediterranean Sea and taken to Italy, to camps, or worse. This framework not only adds a deeply personal note to the movie, but it also provides welcome relief in between the often harrowing scenes of the modern refugee's ordeals. Through showing many different perspectives -- those of the rescuers who can't provide real help, those of the officials who are "just following orders," and by adding commentary on the political context, the film gives a broad picture of the situation while calling out those profiting from and exploiting the refugees. And though we only briefly meet some of the individual people, we are given enough of their stories to feel touched by their plight. A deeply human work by (IMHO) Switzerland's finest filmmaker.

Okay, so I am a huge fan of Nicola Walker, but that's not the only reason I love this show. The writing is quite brilliant, with dialogue that is both witty and real, meaning it makes sense and creates believable characters. The personal relationships ring true; no black-and-whites here, these people feel real, warts and all.

I will admit that the mystery/drama part leans more towards the cozy than the high-speed thrilling. If that's not your cup of tea and you need your adrenaline raised, then this show may not be for you.

Reading all the raves about this series makes me feel like I dropped into the Twilight Zone. My husband and I watched a couple of episodes, an early one and then, just for the benefit of doubt, a later one. Both episodes felt like a high school production, only less creative. There were some occasionally witty lines in in the otherwise amateurish dialogue, but the actors inevitably drop the few funny bits like so much litter. The lead actor has moments here and there where one senses he could actually be a character, but there is zero chemistry between him and the woman "investigative journalist", who has no credibility from her very first line. But I blame the director who seems to have a negative sense of comedic timing. As for the plots, "laughable" doesn't apply, because they are just not funny. It's not that the style is crude -- crude, taken far enough, would have been more interesting! So why do apparently so many people -- Brits! -- think this series is the best thing since Starbucks Eggnog Latte? Am I blind to the Zeitgeist? Am I taking the wrong drugs? Am I stuck too far in the past? Or did I indeed stumble into the Twilight Zone?