Well-written, well-acted and made with enviable production values, "The woods of Flanders" is clearly one of the better Flemish television series. It is inspired by a series of real-life events which began somewhere during World War I and continued well into World War II. The various events (murders and/or suspicious disappearances) have never been wholly solved or explained, but they seem to have been interconnected by a dark tale of crime, adultery, jealousy and revenge.
The series impresses by its fine acting - it boasts a dream cast giving strong performances - but also by a creeping sense of darkness which contrasts beautifully with the supposed serenity of the sylvan and rural surroundings. There's also a sense of tragedy, almost in the Greek meaning of the term : one crime begets another, which in turn begets another, which in turn begets another, which in turn begets another.. until the woods turn red with blood.
In its own way, "The woods of Flanders" also reminds one of the fact that Belgium has a long history as a feudal society. Neither the French nor the Belgian revolution succeeded in obliterating this age-old system, parts of which survived well into the first half of the twentieth century, especially in Flanders : the titles, job descriptions and bloodlines might have changed, but those in power still possessed the same old sense of entitlement and the same old arrogance. (Indeed, there exist serious sociologists who maintain that Belgium, especially the north of the country, is STILL organized along feudal lines.) In the series you get to see the system in action and it is not a pretty picture...
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