Sutnja

Wow, it's a sign of the times that there is so much video content out there that a Croatian/Ukrainian police procedural can become easily available in the US. The Topic Network has managed to collect obscure, quality TV series that have eluded some of the more prestigious platforms. The Silence started a bit slowly, but as it gathered steam it became an interesting, multi-layered look at corruption and trafficking in Eastern Europe. The acting was first-rate, the characters interesting and sympathetic, and the story offered its share of surprises. I might add that it was a jarring and nostalgic look at what Kyiv looked like before the Russians invaded So far, I have watched 3 series on Topic: A drama set in Lapland ("Arctic Circle"), a dense murder mystery from Austria and Germany ("Dark Woods"), and this. All of them were satisfying in their own way. I would have given The Silence a 7.5, but to make it a whole number, I'll bump it up to an eight. Kudos to the Topic network, and those filmmakers all over the world.

I've watched both seasons now and was definitely impressed. I have a couple of gripes but they are not going to make me lower the mark of eight out of ten. Season One's Ukrainian-language parts had been dubbed into Croat. For me, that's extremely annoying. And the subtitles for Season Two were done by someone far less professional than the person who translated Season One.

Nonetheless less this was a riveting view of high politics and corruption in Eastern countries, one of which wants to join the EU. Scenes in Kyiv meshed seamlessly into the story going on in Osijek.

The first season was more of a straightforward thriller type crime drama. The second was more convoluted and harder to follow. I loved both.

I didn't guess the final villain until the moment Vesna did. It was a real surprise.

I'd recommend this without hesitation.

This Croatian/Ukrainian series opens in the Croatian city of Osijek where a man discovers the body of a girl on the banks of the River Drava. Police officers Inspektor Vladimir 'Vlado' Kovac and Inspektorica Vesna Horak are put on the case. Also investigating matters is Stribor, a journalist. At first it is considered a suicide but when further bodies are found the possibility that there is a serial killer at work arises. Meanwhile in Kyiv; Olga, the Ukrainian wife of a Croatian politician, is running a charity for girls when her own niece goes missing. As the investigation into the killer progresses it becomes clear that people in power are keen to guide the investigation in a particular way.

I found this to be a gripping series. The story is effective and the characters interesting. Of course one thing the makers couldn't envisage was the fact that Russia would invade Ukraine just before the first season aired. This was incorporated into the story for season two; the contrast between the city of Kyiv in the two seasons is shocking even though we've all seen what happened in the news. The story moves at a good pace and there is plenty of tension and a real sense of danger. The cast does a really fine job making their characters believable. Without going into details all major plot lines are wrapped up at the end of the second season so one doesn't have to worry about whether more will be made. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to fans of subtitled drama.

These comments are based on watching the series in the original languages with English subtitles.

For those not familiar with Keystone Kops, a little background: Keystone Kops were fictional, humorously incompetent policemen featured in silent film slapstick comedies between 1912 and 1917. Not that Sutnja (Silence) is a comedy series, but given the ineptitude of the various law enforcement officials, it may as well be.

The pluses to this series were the cinematography, acting and the stories themselves. I was hoping that, the series being European neo-noir, it would have that bluish somber tint typical of some Scandi noir films. It didn't. Most of the scenes were brightly coloured and well-lit.

The letdown for me were the frequent, and seemingly unnecessary, diversions into love and family interests which added very little to the main plot. The biggest culprit, though, was the brazen incompetence of the various officers. I get it was written this way to elongate the series, but it does make Ukranian law enforcement seem like bumbling idiots, carelessly casting aside clues that turn out to be necessary, etc.

By the way, this review was for the first six episodes. I have yet to see the 2nd set of six. Perhaps they ironed out those wrinkles. Maybe.

This production didn't skip a beat keeping the tension and intrigue in high gear. Well written, with expert production values, you are led by the dogged investigators down a dark and winding path.

The acting was first rate by every actor involved, and you easily cared about and felt a connection to many of the characters involved in this twisting and turning case.

What at first appeared to be a suicide sprawls into an investigation into the darkest recesses of a diabolical network, with its tentacles reaching high up, involving people and places of power and influence. And the international connections made it all the more daunting revealing the immense scope and scale of the entire enterprise.

Well worth your time!