Weissensee

This is a series about life in the DDR during the 80s and just after the wall came down. The replication of the atmosphere, attitudes and everyday life in the former communist "model state" feels very authentic. A family drama about the various perspectives living in the totally surveilled and controlled totalitarian state.

The characters feel very realistic, you can easily identify with all of them. Both the bad and the good guys. This series is a very natural watch for those of you that enjoyed the 2006 masterpiece "Life Of Others". In this series the everyday drama including both joys and sadness is very engaging and realistic. And everything encapsulated in the STASI state where no-one can really trust each other and even your very closest family might be your biggest traitor.

There are many strong and realistic moments and one of the most memorable is when a STASI officer and his wife is counselling with a family therapist about their relationship and marriage. And when the counseling doesn't go in the direction the STASI officer wants then... you can imagine the total claustrophobia here..

I could go on and on raving about this fantastic series. So don't hesitate, go and watch it now!

We watched all four seasons on MHz and there are English subtitles. I would like to seen another season as only one of the recent story lines was concluded in Season 4 episode 4.

A crying shame there aren't even English subtitles for this excellent series. Be the way, it gets really good in the second season.

Part, I repeat part of the brutality and corruption of the DDR regime is revealed in this high class soap opera. But love triumphs in the end, and some pretty creepy people redeem themselves. But rest assured, the excesses were intrinsic in the structure that was the artificial hothouse of East Germany. Who built this hothouse is not the subject of the series, and the two mainly responsible powers are not even mentioned.

Annoying, for me, is the piling up of contrived crises in the first season, but that's how the public generally wants it. In this respect "Breaking Bad" is no different.

I never wrote a movie review before but I had to drop a few words about this wonderful series. I am very demanding when it comes to natural and convincing acting and I was deeply impressed buy the cast of Weissensee, specially Florian Lukas, Jörg Hartmann and Anna Loos. I also loved how the director took the time to take us deep into each character, by the end of the 4th season you felt like you really knew the deepest thoughts of every single one of them. I am very thankful to know now more about what really was going on in the DDR from the side of the people that went through it, and also so happy to keep discovering more and more great german actors. 10 deserved points and two big thumbs up for Weissensee!

Having grown up in the 1980s GDR, I recognize many aspects and character types of this well-researched show. The '80s and later the transitional reunification are portrayed very well - from an elite's perspective. Weißensee is, after all, where the elite lived.

But this is not bare entertainment. The storywriting and character development are intense and extremely tragic. The show hooks you on despair and sadness, with few light spots. That's a fair warning, because they really show all the dark aspects of a dying GDR, spiced up with family drama taken to 11.

Decent actors and character development.