As Episode 1 of "Two Summers" (2022 release from Belgium; 6 episodes of about 45 min each) opens, we are in "Silicon Valley, USA", where Peter and his wife Romee live in a palatial estate. Just as they head out the door, Peter receives a message on his phone, containing a highly explosive video of an incident that happened 30 years ago. We then go to "Antwerp, Belgium", where a group of 6 friends get ready to fly out to a private island in the south of France, to celebrate Romee's 50th birthday. At this point we are 10 min into Episode 1.
Couple of comments: let me state upfront that I hail from Antwerp, Belgium (but have now lived in the US for many years) and when this was suggested to me by Netflix based on my viewing habits, I almost fell onto the floor when I realized that this is an authentic Flemish/Belgian TV mini-series. The "two summers" referred to in the title are the current summer and the summer of 1992, when the protagonists all are about 20 years old. Now reaching 50, it turns out that there are some very dark secrets hanging over their heads. So what starts as a happy-go-lucky reunion among this group of longtime friends, quickly unravels, and I'll leave it at that. The only performer I recognized is Ruth Becquart, one of Belgium's top actors (she was recently in the new season of that other great Flemish series "Undercover", also available on Netflix).
"Two Summers" premiered on Belgian (Flemish) TV in February (with stellar TV ratings), and it recently premiered on Netflix, where all 6 episodes are streaming now. If you are in the mood for a psychological thriller with a twist (or two) and a European setting, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion. Note to Netflix: THANK YOU for bringing this to US audiences. Please stream more such foreign mini-series!
