User reviews

A world-class German series. Camera, story, actor! Everything seems to be right in this German series. The six-part captivates from the first minute, only comes a little lurch in the end. All in all, however, an extraordinary achievement from the author as well as the actor and director. True Detective in Germany

The series is very much like it's lead character Thomas Bethge (Matthias Brandt). Steady, stoic, and thorough. The contrast with the behaviour of the various suspects in the murder of his sister is both a strength and a weakness. There is a slow build up of tension, but a significant amount of screen time is taken up with repeating situations we have already seen before.

A slight disappointment is that the final episode doesn't end up exploring all the possibilities that were suggested in the previous two. But perhaps that is the danger when doing a "true crime" drama - I didn't know anything about the events it is based on, but the production team are understandably wary of taking too many liberties with what actually happened.

I had trouble getting into the first episode of this six-part series. That was partly because it was hard to sort out the flashbacks from events in the present day, and partly because the show looked like a standard European procedural with a mismatched male/female pair of detectives (one cliche) investigating the disappearance and murder of various young women (another cliche) as well as a few men. But since the show was streaming on Topic, and just about everything else I'd seen on Topic turned out to be excellent, I persisted and was glad I did.

The story is complex and the investigation ends up lasting for decades, but the plot is well constructed and the conclusion makes sense. All the actors are strong, especially the tormented protagonist, played by Matthias Brandt (who was also brilliant as Benda in Babylon Berlin). I'd recommend this show to anyone who likes crime dramas -- especially true crime, since "Dark Woods" is based on an actual case: the Göhrde murders of 1989.

One commenter complained that the title (in German -- Das Geheimnis das Totenwaldes, The Secret of the Deadly Forest) was misleading. I don't understand that criticism, since many of the corpses were discovered in Iseforst, a forest in Germany; the forest itself appears in every episode; characters often mention Iseforst; and in the series, the media start calling the crime scene "Totenwald." So the title seems perfectly apt, in English as well as German -- especially if you interpret it both literally and metaphorically (e.g., the "selva oscura" -- dark forest -- mentioned in the opening verses of Dante's Inferno).

This series was one of the best I've watched in long time on all levels.

While it is detective murder mystery, it goes well beyond that to draw you deep into the suffering and pain endured by the family of a missing wife/mother/ sister. The pacing of the show, while keeping you on the edge of your seat, at the same time enables you to experience the agonizing heartache of the family of the missing woman over an excruciating 27 years. That is masterfully accomplished, so much so that I found myself in tears at the conclusion having gone along on their journey for the truth.

Watch it.

This German mini series is gripping from the first to the last episode. The storytelling, character building, camera, grading and cast is brilliant. Very well executed and fantastically binge-worthy.

A must see!

The story was quite gripping, it wasn't until the last 2 episodes that things dragged a little. It was shot and directed well, and the costume and make up department did such a good job and ageing the cast over the decades!

When I first started watching this series I almost bailed on it. Maybe it's that it seemed to start a little slow and that it was another crime show where the young brash female detective would save the day. She does play a vital part but the story doesn't fit into a neat package.

Great acting and direction and the plot will keep you interested.

Watched this series in one evening it was so good. Based on a true story it spans a 25 year hunt for a serial killer/s and it's a truly fascinating account of grit and determination on the part of the investigation team, who had to endure so many obstacles within their own division.

Great cast, script, production and direction I can heartily recommend it.

In sifting through some of the reviews of Dark Woods, I was surprised to see so many words, like "gripping" and "captivating." While I found it interesting, well acted, and well produced, for me it was a bit more plodding than gripping. By episode 6, I felt much like the characters who had been waiting for an answer for 28 years: a bit weary.

I assume that the filmmakers adhered closely to the real facts of the case, but I wanted more dramatic highs and lows, and less of a muted documentary feel. Indeed I felt like the series could have played out in a brisker, tighter 4 or 5 episodes than the six.

On a side note, I watched the series on the newly discovered (for me) Topic channel. On Topic, the default version is English dubbed. I quickly got out of that version to watch it in the original German with English subs. Much better. Would I recommend this series? Yes. Would I rave about it? No.

Really enjoyed watching it. Well Crafted and well written. A must watch. The acting is just marvellous and the screenplay is tight. Looking more like this from the same team.

The title is so misleading. There is barely a 15 minute reference out of a runtime of approximately 6 hours.

The show starts of as murder mystery but than slowly moves into procedural of finding a kidnapped person.

It's based on a real story as they say but could have created in a much better way for TV/VOD.

Some in the reviews have compared this to True Detective, I don't think it's even comparable to the Good Nordic shows let alone True Detective. The closest it comes to are Brit Detective shows.

Flicking through the menus I came across this one by chance.

Wasn't expecting much, but I was really pleasantly surprised.

Very well made, believable acting, excellent camera work, and a very gripping story based on actual events.

The final scenes have me goosebumps!

First German drama I have watched and I loved it. Acting superb, heartbreaking to know this is a true story as it really sucked you in and made you feel the emotion and effect the events had on the loved ones over 3 decades. Executed brilliantly.

This German drama is a slow burn but a worthwhile one as the complex, almost unbelievable events unfold. Spanning three decades and a change of century, Dark Woods shows us how methods of police detection changed and assisted in finally closing the case. It's those who didn't change who are the problem with their jaw-dropping hurriedness to drop the original investigation and failure to follow up on basic procedures. There are some telling scenes such as when the new female prosecutor tells Anne Bach "You sound like a man" to which she replies "That's the only way to get things done here". Still, it's hard to know how the original prosecutor and police captain of the area force can live with themselves after this.

A German production of the same ilk as Nordic Noire.

A true crime, so no real observations about the story.

The only problem I had was that Anne Bach was just not convincing as a murder detective. So fresh faced she looked like she should have been in school and was very diminutive and androgynous. Karoline Schuch played the part well enough, but she did not look right to my eye.

Some good performances all round and well worth watching.

Another presentatation from Walter Presents, this time a German series based on true story which starts in the 80s. The story revolves around the disappearance of Barbara Neder and the hunt for her abductor/killer. Her brother Thomas Bethge happens to be the head of CID, but in another region. The force investigating the case are not too keen on Thomas constantly checking their progress. Fortunately one of the investigating officers is Anne Bach who was formerly a protoge who keeps him informed. There are two main suspects Robert Neder, her husband, and a local gardener, Jurgen Becker, who is known to the police, but with no sign of Barbara or a body progress is slow to non existent. I enjoyed this well acted series and would highly recommend if you like a police procedural.