DNA

I binge watched this over 2 nights - as soon as one episode finished I couldn't wait for the subsequent one . A twisted tale of intrigues - and sensitive good performances despite other reviews to the contrary .

Written by the same team as penned 'The Killing', the story is cleverly constructed, and delivers a nice twist at the end, leaving a good lasting impression.

The acting however, is decidedly patchy. Anders Berthelson (in the lead role) shines in the last few scenes., but prior to that, does little more than vacillate between a vacant, bored expression and one of mild anguish.

Odd too, that the writers allow his young female partner to take all the punches. Strong women may be in-vogue, but this degrades the lead role considerably.

By way of contrast, Zofia Wichlacz sparkles as the troubled young mother who has her baby snatched by the nuns that are supposed to be protecting her. Why this gifted young actress hasn't been snapped up by Hollywood is something of a mystery. - 8.1/10.

At first, Danish thriller 'DNA' feels routine, a police procedural set in (big thrill!) a DNA laboratory. But it soon develops into an engaging and tightly plotted story, in which the importance of DNA is not what we first might think. Indeed, the central story, centred on the Catholic church, felt true enough to make me feel genuinely angry at its fictional characters. As often when watching dramas from a small country, familliar faces soon appear, and Nicolas Bro (who was also in 'The Killing') plays his role well; Charlotte Rampling also features, playing a French policewoman. Overall, it's one of the better Scandi-dramas of recent years.

This series is centred on Danish police officer Rolf Larsen and investigation which uncovers baby smuggling in Europe. In a prologue we see Rolf investigating the disappearance of a baby; a lead takes him to Poland. Unable to get a babysitter, he takes his own child with him and she disappears during the ferry crossing... officially she fell overboard in a tragic accident. Five years later he is working in a rural area but is called back in following a similar case. He soon uncovers a problem in the supposedly error proof DNA data base and dares to believe his daughter might still be alive. While investigating the possible baby smuggling with French police officer Claire Bobin he runs a parallel, unofficial, investigation into his daughter's disappearance. The case will see them investigating in Denmark, France and Poland. Intertwined with this we see what is happening to Julita, a young, pregnant Polish woman, who has sought help at a convent.

I enjoyed this mystery/thriller despite some obvious flaws. The prologue sets things up nicely giving our protagonist extra motivation to solve the case. This also provides an early problem as we are forced to believe that Rolf would leave his baby daughter in a pram on the deck of a ferry during a storm! If one can get past this early problem the story is solid; I liked how the story of Rolf's investigation is intertwined with Julita's story. The conclusion features some twists; some the viewer is likely to see coming while others are more surprising. Without going into detail I will say I liked the ending even though I doubt it would have played out like that in reality. The cast does a solid job although I can't comment on the delivery as others have as I don't speak the characters' native languages; their English is certainly better than I can speak other languages!

With its multiple nationalities much of it is in English despite there being no English characters; the rest is subtitled Danish, French or Polish.

It was an entertaining watch and I don't regret watching the whole thing. But there were some aspects that were a bit silly. It's not too hard to look past them, but for a Danish crime show it's definitely not one of the best. I also have some gripes with the ending but won't leave any spoilers.