Dear Child

Once you start Dear Child you find it hard to look away. This beautifully crafted limited series is about a woman and two children who are held captive by a man in a windowless makeshift home, until one day the woman escapes and that is the beginning of a narrative of back and forth until the story finally resolves itself.

I was completely entranced by this series. I beg of people not to watch it subbed. The subbing takes away from it, watch it in German with subtitles as it is meant to be watched.

My only disappoint was that the series finished too soon, I would have liked to have seen what become over everyone involved.

As this six part German drama opens we see a woman and two children, Hannah and Jonathon, in a room; when a man, whose face we don't see, enters they stand in line to have their hands inspected. Sometime later the woman and girl escape. They run through woodland but when they reach a road she is run over by a car. Rushed to hospital she is checked in as Lena. This name matches that of a woman who went missing thirteen years previously who would be around the same age. Gerd Bühling, the police officer who ran the original missing persons case hears of this and tells Lena's parents that she may have turned up. Far from being the end of the mystery more questions soon arise.

I thought this was a really gripping series. It provides plenty of tension and twists which I didn't see coming. The way we see present events intertwined with flashbacks to what happened before is effective and means we don't learn things to soon but do get to see what happened. The cast does an impressive job. By the end of the sixth episode things are nicely wrapped up so potential viewers don't have to worry about watching the series only to discover they have to wait for another season for resolution. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to fans of Euro crime drama.

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

I found some of the reviews unhelpful. I read them while working my way through the early episodes and I have to say that while some say the ending was disappointing or rushed, I don't agree. Reading the reviews nearly put me off continuing with the series.

I actually enjoyed the ending and felt that everything tied in pretty well. I also liked the fact that there was much more depth to the plot than I expected. There were some holes but overall it was a pretty decent watch. I lack patience with these types of shows and often fail to finish them but I didn't regret hanging on for the end of this one.

As Episode 1 of "Dear Child" (2023 release from Germany; 6 episodes ranging from 45 to 50 min) opens, we see a woman and 2 children who are locked up by a man. The woman manages to escape but she is badly injured in a hit-and-run. Somehow her 12 yo daughter makes it out as well. At this point we are 10 minutes into Episode 1.

Couple of comments: this is the latest from German director Isabel Kleefeld, turning the German bestseller of the same name into a 6 part mini-series. This is a super plot-heavy psychological drama, so the less said about the story line, the better. All I will say is that what appears at first hand in the opening episode raises more questions than it gives answers. Of course all is revealed in the remaining 5 episodes. Kleefeld and the rest of the production team is to be commended for creating a very tense atmosphere from the get-go that barely lets us. Equally up to the task is the non-names (for me anyway) German cast, none more so than the girl who plays the 12 yo. Beware: some of the scenes are disturbing, borderline psychological torture, so no, this ain't for the faint of heart.

All 6 episodes "Dear Child" started airing on Netflix a few days ago. I just watched this over 2 nights (3 episodes a night). If you are in the mood for a complex psychological drama that is very tense from the get-go, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

I enjoyed this mini-series a lot and the writing and acting were top notch. Lots of layers carefully revealed at the right time. Many plot twists and sudden revelations that cast everything in a brand new light. Like a good mystery should do, done quite well here.

The acting of the Hannah character was particularly notable for its almost chilling realism.

My only complaint is that the ending seemed really rushed and there were lots of questions left unanswered. I see this as largely a mystery effort, not wrapping up the loose ends is pretty unsatisfying. But all things considered this is a worthwhile viewing.