Tannbach

I was curious to know what really happened in the Second World War after the defeat of the Nazis in Germany. It shows step by step the construction of the new Eastern Germany DDR with the socialism values that I won't give away further here. Very good educational material with wonderful actors. They played their roles so well that I could feel with them how hard it was to live in the new zone without any democratic hopes. For every one who wants to understand how the processes in the DDR worked this is a great opportunity. It was never boring with lot of twists. Excellent direction with authentic sceneries and costumes. Check it out. 9/10.

Odd, I watched S1/ep1, 2, 3 and S2/ep 1, 2, 3. The final episode seemed to be unfinished, as though there needed to be further episodes, so as to tell the complete story.

Very often we think of WWII in terms of the horrors, be it an atomic bomb, or a concentration camp. This series brings us to the continuation of the ''end'', and how, in a sense, continues to this day. It's a village version of the seperation of Berlin. As such, you get much closer to the small village feel, and as a result, to the people. The acting is first rate - no stupid one-liners or unecessary expressions. . Lauterbach is excellent as the distant and guilt-ridden aristocrat/father. Uhl is first rate as a stoic mother with survival instincts that will surprise you. The others are just as fanatastic. I have rarely seen such a touching series that portrays so effectively the two sides of the same and one coin. A sad and touching testimony of a moment in history of a great and proud nation, and a very human one at that.

The first series was shown in the UK back in 2017 and I really enjoyed it both for the history and the personal tragedies that unfold. The interesting stories are with the conflicts between the characters and their changing fortunes and their priorities with the sides they choose to take as their village is divided.

There is some lighthearted moments but mostly this is a tale of the harsh reality of a nation that lost its' way and power and how the people have to come to terms with this and their villages' division under the super powers.

I was excited to learn of a second series but it was unavailable in the UK so I went to the extreme of buying a subtitled DVD version from New Zealand. It was well worth it. The second series does feel unfinished and it could do with a third, however, I expect there is not much more you could do but tackle the eventual reunification and that has been told in other German series in recent years like the excellent Deutschland 83/86/89.

Intriguing story about a real village divided by the Iron Curtain. Many personal destinies are told here, from Nazi heritage to socialist idealism, although some aspects seem poltically overloaded and hinder credibility. Some of the story twists seem very plotted, especially the second "season" is overall less well done (6*). Many talented actors don't live up to their potential, perhaps due to plot and character arc issues. Good costumes and village flair. Okay to watch but not a must see.