Funeral for a Dog

This 8-part German drama showed on up Sky recently and, looking for something new to start, we gave it a try. Whilst it has its moments, particularly in the first couple of episodes - the longer it ran the more I felt that the story was being padded out and it needed to get back to the crux of its mystery.

Daniel Mandelkern (Albrecht Schuch) flies to Italy to try and interview the author of his favourite book "Astroland" Mark Svensson (Freidrich Mucke). The book dramatizes aspects of Svennsons real life, where he and his friend Felix (Daniel Strasser) met Tuuli Kovero (Alina Tomnikov) and the three had a tempestuous love affair that spanned a decade and several countries. Fortunately for Daniel, he arrives at the same time as Tuuli, who encourages him to join her the rest of the way. Svensson has become increasingly reclusive, since the death of Felix in an apparent drowning two years earlier.

I wonder, looking back, whether I'd have been quite as tolerant of this series had it been made in the UK or whether the international flavour of it made me more forgiving. We come to see the history of the central throuple in flashback as they work for the peace corp in Colombia, arrive in Finland just in time for Tuuli's mother to die and are in New York on September the 11th 2001. In fact, I think the volume of time we spend in the past of the three characters is largely to the detriment of the show. The first couple of episodes give us all the context that we need for the present-day story, perhaps with the exception of the knowledge that they have a child together a little later on. The hook that kept me watching, even though the lengthy New York section was the idea of finding out what happened to Felix. I'm all for a slow build to a drama, particularly a character based one, but I do look back now and wonder whether we needed all of the side stories and diversions that this takes.

The performances are good, all the technical work is too, song choices, beautiful camera work of the Italian lakes where the bulk of the present day story takes place - but once the conclusion was reached, my overwhelming thought was that at half the length it would have been twice the show.

The scenes are stunning and the story takes the viewer through how exciting a sexual relationship between three very good friends can be and also how selfish it can be too. I did find it very slow moving but it also drew me in at the same time so I wanted to see how it ended and what had really happened along the way. It also jumps to different years and places quite a lot which I found confusing at times in the beginning but each country does have a feel for it. The acting is very good. A beautiful and sad drama.

I'll be brief. An intruiging story, well-acted and beautifully shot in stunning locations. I only have two minor qualms: 1) the time jumps are sometimes confusing. 2) It probably went on for an episode or two too long. But an intruiging tale, and you can't help but wonder how it will turn out. Just go with it and the pieces gradually fit together.

The thing with foreign language programmes (ok, there's a bit of English in this one) is that they require your full concentration. In some cases it's worth it. In others it isn't. For me, Funeral for a dog is in the latter category. I ended up jealous of the dog!

I'm just about to begin ep 3 and feel like very little has happened but for some reason I'm irresistibly drawn in. Slowly, very slowly, we get to know the characters but are unsure of the relationship between them. If there is a story, it's only partially revealed at this stage. Whatever happens from here on, I am fixed, strangely attracted and fascinated. More later.