Pustina

Stumbled on to this series browsing the contents of HBO Nordic, looking for a break from the ordinary, mostly American content. Decided to give this one a try, and very pleased that I did.

I don't speak a word of Czech, so I had to rely on the subtitles to get the dialogue. In spite of this, I was very impressed by the acting throughout. Almost a documentary feeling, very authentic and true. As good as the acting is, though, it's the cinematography that takes the prize. It's first rate and really tells the tale even on its own. The photography is mesmerizing at times.

The setting, in a run down rural eastern European village, is very vividly portrayed, with great affection and intimate detail. The decaying old cold war, Soviet era infrastructure and mind set of the people jumps out of the screen and really comes to life.

The determined attention to detail in the writing, directing, acting and photography all attest to the dedication of the people involved to really make this one count - and it does, among the best. Excellent!

Wow! just finished this show, and it is great! It is extremely dark and dreary, but spellbinding from start to finish. Real emotions from real characters, which can be hard to find in most shows. Good acting, good plot, and it really takes you to the place where it is set. It's as least as good as most American HBO dramas. This is the first HBO Europe series that I've watched and I'm hoping they are all like this. I've never written a review before, but this moved me to the point that I had to tell somebody.

The Revelation, quite the favorable part of the series!

At first I wasn't sure whether to continue watching; it took a couple of episodes to get into this one. The mood is somber; the Czech village is portrayed as lacking resources except for the possibility of local coal being mined by a new company trying to establish itself, with the inhabitants trying to make ends meet and favoring the new jobs and house sales resulting from offers by the coal company. Be forewarned that this won't be an uplifting series. If you like exposure to new cultures and lands, this will be of interest to you. The mystery is handled well and the acting, especially by the two main characters, is outstanding, I'm not familiar with the cast from other programming, but they all do a good job and the show is very well produced and directed. Background music is really appropriate and adds a nice element.

Wasteland proves that even in Czech Republic (though under the HBO label) there can be made a miniseries of international quality. The rest of czech TV production doesn't hold a candle to it.

Visual style and atmosphere inspired by nordic crime shows, great acting, character development, dialogues, pacing, soundtrack, direction... Sure, it also has some drawbacks. For example some sub-plots were unnecessary, the detective storyline could be better and the miniseries sometimes feels a bit too self-aware of its own superiority.

However, nothing can change the fact that Wasteland is one of the best Czech works in a long, long time.