BLACK SPOT

A police chief and an eccentric new prosecutor investigate a string of grisly crimes and eerie phenomena in an isolated town at the edge of a forest

I don’t know what’s come over me because for nearly my entire life I avoided dubbed or sub-titled movies or TV shows at all costs, but the Netflix effect has changed that for me and boy am I glad for that.

This thriller with supernatural tendencies is set in probably the bleakest and most dilapidated location ever to have been broadcast into anyones livingroom. Think Fortitude without the pretty white snow, mixed with a dash of Fargo and rounded off with the weirdness of Twin Peaks.

It’s a French town – although a couple of times they refer to it as a city(!) – in a remote wooded and mountainous area with not cell phone reception (hence black spot) and a police force of 3 plus a  visiting DA.

The plot involves weird abductions, a very high murder rate and strange goings-on linked to ancient Celtic supernaturals and the by now obligatory eco warriors – not to mention probably a serious Prozac addiction rate given how bleak the town of Villefranche has turned out to be. A sort of cross between the French Alps and the Appalachian Mountain “hollers’ so aptly depicted in the Justified TV series. Intelligently written and even the obviously grotty and depressing setting wins you over in time.

The acting is of a very high quality and never more so than during the comedy relief moments when the visiting DA, who cannot help but remind you of Lt. Colombo, provides us with some genuine smiles and the odd laugh out load moment. The main characters are all compelling when on screen and especially the female lead played by Suliane Brahim.

I’ve soaked up the first series and am currently getting to grips with series two. Well worth your time investment and the minimum effort required to forget about the dubbing.