Das Geheimnis des Totenwaldes

In sifting through some of the reviews of Dark Woods, I was surprised to see so many words, like "gripping" and "captivating." While I found it interesting, well acted, and well produced, for me it was a bit more plodding than gripping. By episode 6, I felt much like the characters who had been waiting for an answer for 28 years: a bit weary.

I assume that the filmmakers adhered closely to the real facts of the case, but I wanted more dramatic highs and lows, and less of a muted documentary feel. Indeed I felt like the series could have played out in a brisker, tighter 4 or 5 episodes than the six.

On a side note, I watched the series on the newly discovered (for me) Topic channel. On Topic, the default version is English dubbed. I quickly got out of that version to watch it in the original German with English subs. Much better. Would I recommend this series? Yes. Would I rave about it? No.

A world-class German series. Camera, story, actor! Everything seems to be right in this German series. The six-part captivates from the first minute, only comes a little lurch in the end. All in all, however, an extraordinary achievement from the author as well as the actor and director. True Detective in Germany

The series is very much like it's lead character Thomas Bethge (Matthias Brandt). Steady, stoic, and thorough. The contrast with the behaviour of the various suspects in the murder of his sister is both a strength and a weakness. There is a slow build up of tension, but a significant amount of screen time is taken up with repeating situations we have already seen before.

A slight disappointment is that the final episode doesn't end up exploring all the possibilities that were suggested in the previous two. But perhaps that is the danger when doing a "true crime" drama - I didn't know anything about the events it is based on, but the production team are understandably wary of taking too many liberties with what actually happened.

This series was one of the best I've watched in long time on all levels.

While it is detective murder mystery, it goes well beyond that to draw you deep into the suffering and pain endured by the family of a missing wife/mother/ sister. The pacing of the show, while keeping you on the edge of your seat, at the same time enables you to experience the agonizing heartache of the family of the missing woman over an excruciating 27 years. That is masterfully accomplished, so much so that I found myself in tears at the conclusion having gone along on their journey for the truth.

Watch it.

The story was quite gripping, it wasn't until the last 2 episodes that things dragged a little. It was shot and directed well, and the costume and make up department did such a good job and ageing the cast over the decades!