Pantano

1984 (a coincidental choice? I do not think 'tis so...). A fictitious voivodeship city in late-communist Poland (with its degenerate monoparty's power being behind almost anything that goes on there).

This bleak city, with its foresty and marshy surroundings, is a character of its own - it pulls you in, and does not want to let you go. Ever. Darkness is dwelling here - covering some of the ugliness but also feeding on the past and being constantly reinforced by the present, overshadowing the future and hope. Killing innocence.

An old, weary journalist, together(?) with his new, enthusiastic and idealistic colleague attempt to shed some light on the darkness. Will they be able to fully pierce through it? And should they bring out to plain view everything they manage to uncover...?

Its a good and authentic story that is well played by the actors. It's grey, yes, but that's how life were back then.

I started watching it with low expectations and although the first episodes have some parts that seem unconnected or are hard to follow, the setting in an 80s communist Poland city and the good performance of the actors slowly help you to become more and more interested in the story. It is excellently shot, and it helps you to see a bit of what life was like in Eastern Europe in the 80s. Interesting, well made and only 5 episodes. Recommended!

Living in Czechoslovakia/The Czech Republic in the 1990s so much of this rang true as far as life in this part of the world at that time. I would say they got the architecture, decore, fashion, and the way people behaved and communicated down very well, it was so much like what was still around and what I was told about (though in a different country), I saw the remenents of it, this, I would guess, was was it was really like. It was also shot and acted very well. As far as the story goes, I don't get how so many reviewers complain of being confused. There were the usual multiple threads, suspects, and gaps in the story for the viewers or protagonists to fill in. People should watch a little more closely and accept the fact that not everything is laid out for you and that things tie up, or sometimes don't, in the end. In general there was nothing flashy, the impressive thing was the everyday detail and convincing human aspect, like I said, they kept it simple in that sense, and got it right. I would hope there will be another series.

This is top notch- not to be faulted on any front. Beautifully shot, wonderfully acted and directed. The storytelling is utterly impressive: each scene builds anticipation and you end up watching actively, with many mysteries, small and large, to solve. What is told and not told, what must be revealed and when- these are the crucial questions that only the best writers know how to convey. And aside from that, the revelation of a moment, a cultural ethos, is outstanding. At this point in tv watching we are spoiled by easy access to fanatstic tv and drama- but this then has ended up raising standards and expectations. There are a lot of very good shows out there - few that are excellent and outstanding. This is one of the outstanding ones.