Linea di separazione

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.

Now I may have led a singularly sheltered life, being born in 1952, I have seen my share of war films, and lately post-war films. I like something that tells a story, I do not like 'block buster' or big bang movies, so this series, which is as riveting as Un Village Francais in its own way, was telling the story of a small town which wakes up the morning after WWII is ended and has to deal with the repercussions. First the Americans claim them, then the Russians, then they are divided down the centre. It's fascinating, appalling and brilliant at the same time. It's realistic in that the good guys don't necessarily do the right thing all the time, and the bad guys don't necessarily get their come-uppance. In some ways it's horrific, and the horror of the post war situation contrasts strongly with the beautiful peaceful scenery of the untouched countryside and farm buildings. If you are interested in history, then this is worth a watch, purely from a different perspective - it's easy to forget that ordinary people were on all sides of the conflict and suffered., loved and lost.

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.

This production is so awful it made me write this review.

The dialogues, acting and filming (esp. Lighting and grading) are so incredibly bad that it's not possible to follow the storyline.

My guess is that the positive feedback is based on the main/true story and the interpretation of the translation into different languages but the direction and acting are simply bad, yes almost silly in the original German language.

It's disturbing how insensitive a post WWII story can be. I'm German and I watched the German original and I can assure you that it's a waste of time and you'd better be off with one of the documentaries about this topic. Which is of course incredible interesting.

It's a shame that broadcasting fees have been used to produce yet another lousy German TV production.

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.