Sam - A Saxon

As an Afro-German I cannot stress enough how important this story and series is to me. Far too often black narratives are pushed aside in this country and this show is one great example on how to change the view society has on black communities and to amplify black voices and stories.

Congrats to the whole team for creating an outstanding piece of art (in comparison to other German shows)! Can't wait to see what's next for the actors (esp. Malick Bauer) and creators that made this project come to life.

Also: Do yourself a favor and watch it in original language with subtitles as the dubbed version doesn't do it justice!

I couldn't wait to watch all the episodes of Sam - A Saxon.

It was worth the wait. An emotional story is told that so many of us can relate to.

What makes it so special is that it's based on a true story.

They have chosen a super cast! I especially loved little Sam - played by Elyas Eldridge. Of course, grown-up Sam was good too.

You can really put yourself in the character's shoes. Some scenes brought tears to my eyes.

I don't want to give any spoilers. It's best to see for yourself. I loved everything about it.

I've decided to watch all the episodes again this weekend :-)

I can absolutely recommend watching it!!!!!

Great series, great story, very interesting and well told.

The dubbing is horrible. I don't know why there was no emphasis placed on the dubbing, but I'll disregard the dubbing for my rating.

I felt like Malick Bauer was trying so hard to use these facial expressions, where he smiles even though he is hurting on the inside, but they didn't connect with me, because they were just all over the place and not meaningful in those moments, especially because he overuses them. In episode 4 or 5 he is walking this girl home and he does that constantly, then has this major outburst and goes back to the grinning. I know what he was trying to do it, but he just overacted badly and he tends to do that a lot in the series. Which is sad, because he seems to have potential. I think this role was just too big for him to carry.

Contrary to the other comments, I don't get the whole problem with him being well build and being such a helpless nerd. I know a lot of gym nerds. What I did find irritating is the fact that the actor often just runs through some dialogues, which makes him hard to understand in German, even for a German person.

If the main actor was better this series could have easily been a rewatchable 7 because the story is so intriguing. I am really torn between giving it a 5 or a 6, but I'm going to go with the 6 because I love the fact that this was made.

For me the series really takes off in episode 3. Maybe I am just too young to care for the whole historical, political fall of the wall situation, but the bond that is established between him and - sorry, I almost spoilered. The bond he establishes in episode 3 makes the whole series worth watching and interesting. A lot happens between the lines, which is great. It is pretty well written.

The cinematography is for German standards very good.

I must say, the only issue I really had was with the main actor. I didn't quite get a lot of his acting decisions or facial expressions at times, but other than that, it was a good watch.

I recommend watching the original Version with subtitles as the dubbed version doesn't possess the same emotional impact I loved watching Sam's growth as man with a troubled past and challenging present, I found the acting to be captivating and at times forgot I was watching actors. The pace is fast and each episode has its own arc to it I watched it in two sittings as I was drawn into it and wanted to see the outcome the fact that the movie is based on actual events and people made it even more compelling. It was educational for someone who was nit as familiar with what was happening in Germany around the time before and during and after the fall of the wall.