As Episode 1 of "Laetitia" (2020 release from France; 6 episodes of about 50 min. Each) opens, we are told this is a "work of fiction based on real facts". Laetitia arrives home on her scooter late into the night. "Where were you?" some guy asks. We then go to "Three Months Later, Wednesday 19 January 2011, 7:45 am", as Laetitia's twin sister Jessica leaves the house and she finds Laetitia's scooter on the ground, along with one of Laetitia's shoes. But no sign of Laetitia. It's not long before the police are doing an all-out search... At this point we are 10 min. Into Episode 1 but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: this is the latest from French writer-director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, who won an Oscar for his 2001 documentary "Murder On a Sunday Morning". Here he brings the "fictionalized" version of the real-life disappearance of an 18 yr. Old girl in Loire-Atlantique, in northwestern France. Episode 1 is chock full of plot development (if not twists), so the lesser said of that, the better. I will make one general observation: not everything that you see should be taken at face value. Just one example: when the police interviews the foster dad, he says that Laetitia loves living with them. But a little later when they interview Jessica, she says that Laetitia was eager to move out, the sooner, the better. This shows you the underlying friction between appearance and reality, and I'll just leave it at that. Episode 1 is tense from the get-go and frankly doesn't let up at all. Please note that Episode 1 includes a disturbing scene of domestic violence that is hard to watch or stomach (but it does provide an insight on the upbringing of the twin sisters).
"Laetitia" premiered on French TV in September of 2020, and exactly a year later it premiered in the US on HBO. Episode 1 is now available on HBO On Demand, HBO Max, Amazon Instant Video and other platforms. New episodes air on Monday evenings at 9 pm Eastern. If you are in the mood for an (in)tense crime drama, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.
