Dark – S01

Imagine you are getting over a railroad crossing. Then right in the middle of the crossing you stop and turn your gaze sideways. And you see a train coming your way. It is pretty far and is moving real slow. And you just freeze there, though you have enough space and time to get out of the crossing. You just watch the train slowly ride along the rails towards you. And it’s a big one. Huge. Cargo train with multiple engines. And the more you wait closer and bigger it gets. And you just can’t move a muscle. Mesmerized you are stuck watching this monster slowly but steadily approach you. And you realize that once it reaches you it will not stop, it will just smash you like a bug and continue riding along the tracks.

This is what I felt watching the first season of German TV show DARK. Masterfully combining sci-fi, horror and psychological thriller, this show is undeniably THE BEST Netflix show and hands down THE BEST representation of time travel and corresponding paradoxes I have ever seen. 

And how beautifully it is done! Imagine Vince Gilligan doing a Christopher Nolan film. This is what it essentially is. Acting is superb. Cast consists of over 30 main actors playing heroes at different ages, but not a single one is fake or out of place. Story centers around children disappearing in a small town and families looking for them, but it is not your STRANGER THINGS with stupid actions by random teens. This is a multi-layered story of choices and consequences that span three eras and multiple generations. 

Created and directed by Baran bo Odar DARK is a complex, meticulous look at the human psyche as well as philosophical musings regarding theoretical physics. Very slow and steady burn never cease to amaze or bore. Dread by constant rain, horror of the northern forest and terror of ominous music constricts the story of family secrets, human tragedy, free will and destiny.