Reviews

This is an important, albeit disturbing. Movie. The acting of the 12-year-old Hala Finley steals the show, and there is fine competition. Such a performance was necessary to the power of the film, but I wonder how Ms. Finley will ever be the same. Watch the film. Make it having been worth her while.

I love this show. I don't, however, buy Nelly's last act (other than as a way to set up a third season in a manner it otherwise could not have). Why would he risk sacrificing the chance to actually have a relationship with his newly-found daughter, who he knew was interested in - and needed - just that? More plausible would be Nelly simply devoting his efforts to prove Paul was the killer, whether Paul had run or not. Indeed, given Paul had run would provide additional evidence of his guilt. That all said, I hope there is a third season, and if this final implausible decision by Nelly was what was needed for that, I suppose it is a price worth paying.

Update Two: Just finished watching the fine third and final season, and am quite impressed. After what I considered the series uneven start, it quickly got stronger, and then stronger still. Indeed, the final season is excellent, with everyone involved -- production, writers and actors -- all having hit their stride. Highly recommend the series, while advising patience during the earlier episodes.

Update: After watching all eight episodes, am hoping the series has a second season. The eye rolling failures, some of which mentioned below, offset by some very interesting developments.

Original: I have watched the first four episodes, which captivating, and will persevere with all eight episodes. But I'm waiting for the main characters to stop waiting. Why aren't, for example, the survivors trying harder to gather together while at the same time gathering supplies and weapons. (And, about weapons, why aren't they trying to find more powerful ones than the sidearms and assault weapons some of them have?) Seems the writers haven't adequately imagined what survivors of something like this would do, admittedly after a period of shock (which itself isn't so convincingly, IMO, depicted), and thus miss the opportunity to explore more universal and interesting themes. Instead, it's as if life goes on, with the focus often still on certain interpersonal dynamics that I would think would not have survived a catastrophe like the one depicted, or at least wouldn't have survived as intact as they seem to here. And so on and so forth.

Spoilers: I really want to like this series, admiring it right off the bat for its ambitions and the intelligent choice of the stories to tell. But several unforced errors keep me from fully engaging. For example, (i) the plodding lack of urgency among the English soldiers, and others, we are following during their retreat to Dunkirk, (ii) the inexplicable decision of our heroes, and the shell-shocked soldiers they picked up, to hangout for many crucial hours in the transport vehicle in Dunkirk while others frantically, and much more sensibly it would seem, seek escape by sea, (iii) the seemingly unconsidered decision of the Polish resistance fighters in Warsaw to continue assassinating German soldiers after the Germans started disproportionate reprisals, etc. But I plan to continue with the series nevertheless, given the overall remaining strength of the compelling stories being told.