Created by: Baran bo Odar & Jantje Friese

Starring:  Oliver Masucci, Karoline Eichhorn, Jördis Triebel, Louis Hofmann + many more!

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Synopsis

A family saga with a supernatural twist, set in a German town, where the disappearance of two young children exposes the relationships among four families.

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Back in September, I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Toronto International Film Festival. Sometimes they feature new television shows at the festival and Dark was one of them. It piqued my interest, but unfortunately I didn’t have the chance to see the presentation of the first episode. Fast forward a couple of months and here it is on Netflix! I remembered how intrigued I was when I first heard the synopsis, so I decided to give this series a shot!

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What I Liked

The connections. I won’t lie. At first, all of the connections between the characters hurt my brain a little. I almost needed to write down who was related to who in a little notebook just to be able to keep track of it all. Once you get used to it though, and you learn a little more about each of the characters, it becomes easier to remember who is who and how they are all connected. I can’t wait to go back and watch this show a second time to better understand the story and the connections. Who knows, maybe I’ll pick up on little things that I missed the first time around.

The setting(s). Without ruining too much of Dark’s premise for you, just know that this show contains an element of time travel and multiple timelines. Therefore, this story takes place in the same town but over the span of multiple decades. It was just so cool to see the same town in multiple time periods and how each of the characters connect…even all these years apart.

The complexity. As mentioned above, this show definitely made my brain hurt a little bit, but like…in a good way? Honestly I don’t know how to describe it. Sometimes confusion can be a good thing. While my brain definitely struggled to keep track of all of the info it was being fed and to make sense of everything, I enjoyed it? I liked being able to watch a show that made me think and pay attention. The complexity of the concept behind dark is definitely intense, but I enjoyed every minute of it.

The music. Right from the first episode, I knew I was going to like this show based on the music and score alone. It was downright creepy and dark and set the tone of the show perfectly. Before I even really knew what I was getting myself into, hearing the music let me know that I was in for something dark and mysterious. It just fit the show as well. Also, the 80s American/German music that we get to experience in later episodes was perfect. I know of maybe 3 80s German songs (Der Kommissar, Rock Me Amadeus & 99 Luftballons), but now I’m intrigued and want to listen to more!

The visuals. Dark has some pretty stunning cinematography. It was one of the first things that I noticed when I clicked episode one. It’s beautifully shot and definitely captures the creepy/supernatural atmosphere relevant to the story.

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What I Didn’t Like

Loved it all. This was one of the best Netflix Original series I have watched in a long time. I haven’t thought about a show this much after I’ve finished watching it since Stranger Things season one. I’m definitely going to be trying to get as many people to watch this series as possible!

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Overall, Dark was definitely a pleasant surprise. I didn’t know what to expect when I clicked the first episode, but I instantly became hooked. Let me tell you, if we don’t get a season 2…I’m suing Netflix.

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Thank you for reading!