ericfoggitt-67416

The idea is great - this test to find your perfect partner, but the plot gets lost in side-stories and back-flashes, all served up with some wooden acting that would make soap opera fans cringe.

If you excited by the first season of Bank Heist - Casa da papel - but disappointed by the strung-out second series and the way the makers milked the whole story, then you'll not be surprised that the same film makers do the same with The Pier. It has some excellent acting - not least by the ubiquitous Alvaro Morte (Professor in Bank Heist) - and the filming is superb - both the cinematography and the editing. The setting in Albufera gives the series an additional cast member, as it were. It is beautiful, wild and natural - a skillful contrast to the created world of the city of Valencia. The concept of natural vs urban is well set out in the first series. But then it gets dragged out, we are treated to 1001 variations of sex with the participants - all gorgeously filmed - and the ostensible story line gets lost. And... So does Sol! She just disappears for no apparent reason.

Not your traditional Nordic Noir, this is a dark and sometimes gruesome journey into Swedish crime. There are moments of real tenderness, such as the affection in which the learning-disabled boy is held, and there are very challenging moments, which test the edges of acceptability for a TV audience. The acting is superb, notably Jonas Karlsson as Alex Recht. The storylines are gripping and vivid, the dialogue fast - sometimes I found myself pausing the film to catch up with the translation. Photography is excellent, and I loved the technique of using the in-car camera for the dialogues between Alex and Frederika.