Don't Leave Me

As frequent travelers to Venice we have to rate this the best cinematography of Venice and outlying islands we have ever watched. The scenery was magical and took us back down memory lane with all the familiar places. The story line was exciting, emotional and the acting was incredible. So many twists and turns of emotions between the actors and surprisingly an extremely sensitive and happy ending. Gave me a different perspective of Venice after dark and early morning. Watched the last episode last night and already talking about re watching!

Italian drama 'Don't Leave Me' is certainly stylish: how could it not be, with its attractive leads and Venetian setting? It's also solidly plotted and its characters have depth. It's also not without flaws: we have a team of super-talented police with instanteous tech and a ridiculously glamorous office; and a lot of the plot twists are very heavily flagged. The chase scenes are slick but never quite feel natural. And the basic idea, that a super-powerful gang are involved in a highly sophisticated scheme to abuse children, doesn't feel true to the tawdry nature of child abuse in general. It's certainly more than a by-the-book thriller; but it doesn't quite inspire the highest levels of emotional engagement.

This beautiful cinematic series was painstakingly crafted using very realistic character actors, a superb cast, captivating storyline, wonderful locations, breathtaking views of Venice, mesmerising cinematography, highly creative editing and magical music that carried you throughout. A faultless production with tasteful artistic direction and excellent production values. Superbly written, directed and produced. Amazing ending ... the cast and story lives on ... should pick up many awards.

This Italian drama series opens with the discovery of the body of a boy in the Venice Lagoon. Evidence suggests it was probably a suicide but policewoman Elena Zonin believes his death is linked to a series of disappearences which she is convinced involves a ring of paedophiles who are selling children on the dark web. At first her superiors are unconvinced but then another boy vanishes. Setting up a team Elena has a race against time to find the boy before it is too late. Adding some extra tension to proceedings is the fact that Elena hasn't been to Venice in about twenty years; returning sees her working alongside old friend Daniele Vianello, who is now married.

I thought this was a gripping series. The subject matter is dealt with in a way that isn't too disturbing but is still tense. There is often a good sense of danger. The characters are likeable and fun to watch; the actors doing fine jobs in their roles. Venice is an impressive location; inviting in the daytime but somewhat sinister at night. Unlike too many series this has an ending that wraps things up nicely; it also provided a surprise that I didn't see coming. Overall I'd recommend this to fans of Euro-drama.

These comments are based on watching the series in Italian with English subtitles.

Most of the events take place in Venice - in a pearl of Italy - and the start was quite promising, but then odd relations, flashbacks and scenes began to dominate and the pace of events reduced significantly. True, towards the end of this miniseries main mysteries were explained, but the roundup came hastily in the second half or so of the final episode. Some scenes were anticipated and when it all ended, I did not feel content with what I had watched - in comparison with e.g. Rocco Schiavone, Signora Volpe, Commissario Montalbano - other Italian crime series focusing on a location outside major Italian cities.

The characters-performances in Non mi lasciare were not excelling as well, and I still have 2 main questions about the things that annoyed me (as many twists and turns emanated from them): 1) If a country/city has issues of street kids and running-off kids, why the wrongdoers took so much time and energy for luring their victims via Internet?

2) How-why the files of a closed and abandoned orphanage remained openly available to everyone - in a modern EU society with strict privacy rules?

So, although the Series is over the average, it is not a must watch.