This crime series steadfastedly follows in the footsteps of other European whodunnits on Netflix: a small town near a big, dark forest, lots of people with secrets and pasts that should remain hidden. After the ascent of shows like Dark and Black Spot, this one naturally joined into a trio that keeps the same aesthetics and mood. There are even more similarities, both in Black Spot and and Forest everything revolves around the disappearance of a girl where the officer in charge of the investigation happens to be her mother. That's not necessarily a bad thing though it does kill some suspence, making you feel you've seen it before. Here, they're on the hunt for the murderer of the missing girl, Jennifer. That unfolds a sequence of events that lead to tragic consequences. The colors are dark and foggy, the scenery is suitably cold and frightful. There are annoying and predictable details, like the wolf who plays a deux ex machina whenever there's a need for it. There's a lack of attractive and genuinely charismatic characters. One of the few is Oceane, a girl who likes to get into trouble and just can't let it go even when things go terribly wrong. The teacher Eve is the one that the subtle strings of the case somehow always come back to, but for a character central like that, they should have recast, because what we see is someone rather bland and almost autistic. The case and the investigation itself are exciting and keep you on your toes till the very end, which is the most important thing after all. So if you look past a few weak spots, you might get an enjoyable binge.
Review of The Forest
