Anthracite

Anthracite is set in a small village in the Alps, that was shaken to its core in 1994, when the collective suicide of a sect called Les Ecrins hit the headlines.

Don't let Ida's character irritate you at the beginning of the series, she will change quickly and is much more bearable.

The plot moves around quickly, while the beautiful surroundings of the Swiss Alps make for a great visual backdrop, and the cast makes the most of the many twists and turns that the series has to offer. It delivers a great blend of suspense and humour, making it really intriguing.

Anthracite is the kind of big hamburger full of sauce and ingredients that you know will stain you. And even though there are times when it seems unclear where the show is going, it skillfully keeps things moving forward by adding really good turns and surprises, making for an engaging and exciting story.

The series explores dark themes, leaving the audience intrigued, it is worth the watch!

This series has just enough intrigue to keep you interested to watch the next episode. As another reviewer said the title character takes some getting used to but that is part of her charm. She is living on the edge due to her personal and health issues so this might seem she is frivolous but really is excitable and determined to prove her points.

I felt the acting was good. I really enjoyed it enough to see it to its finish.

There are a few scenes that were a bit out there but taken as a whole the series of 6 episodes was just enough to tell the story without dragging any one plot line to much.

It was worth my time to see it thru to the end.

Let me be clear, this is a mess.

The premise is quite interesting and some scenes are quite beautiful and breathtaking and some of the actors are actually believable (kudos to Hatik in particular).

I grew up watching French TV shows and they act like they are on stage and it's either over the top or not acting at all in general...

But with a Netflix budget and actually believing on some of the cast and crew it looked passable.

There are so many faults in the scenario and gaps in the story and it's super annoying... But I did finish it. That's like a plus... Not great, but better than the usual.

I binged watched in two days. From the first episode the story hooks you and then takes you on a crazy, twisty, turny rollercoaster ride right up to the 6th episode. There is so much plot, but you can keep up, I loved Ida from the start, she is endearing, vulnerable and simply a delight, I am not sure why she gets such negative reviews.

The story is jam packed with demon cult activity, protestors, incest, murder, more murder, car chases. Weird mountain people, dead sheep, poison and confused cops. You won't be sorry.

What I really enjoyed, was that it ended without any loose ends and questions. If you love a good thriller with a whole lot of story line, this one's for you.

I was left wanting more...

Anthracite: 1994, a murderous cult commit mass suicide in Levionna in the French Alps, the only survivor being the cult leader. 2024, a journalist who had covered the original story is apparently kidnapped, his web sleuth daughter goes to Levionna to investigate. Another body turns up, are the cult active again? This series involves many plot twists and may well be a tad too lever for it's own good. It's worthwhile sticking with Anthracite though, convoluted as the plot is it involves many interesting tropes. A pharmaceutical company which may be carrying out secret tests on the local populace, a possible serial killer responsible for many disappearances over the last ten years, strange abandoned coal mines which are being reopened by the pharmaceutical company. There are some soap like elements to the plot and who is whose father/mother brother/sister theme which makes you hear dueling banjos playing in the background. It has enough, tension and action to keep you interested as gory violent scenes accumulate plus a nurse who could give Nurse Ratchet a run for her money. Directed by Julius Berg, Written by Fanny Robert, Maxime Berthemy, Sophie Lebarbier, Mehdi Ouahab. Six episodes in Netflix. 7.5/10.