Lauchhammer - Tod in der Lausitz

An intriguing post-GDR thriller with a good, though depressing, atmosphere. After a girl is murdered the plot slowly develops towards a rather unexpected end. The former GDR political culture is nicely intertwined with the current atmosphere in the former Eastern Germany and with the former coal industry there. An intelligent crime story that at times may get you a little lost, but always timely returns on to the right track. If you're into crime mystery, intrigue within a depressing atmosphere that seems to hold no hope for anyone, then this is definitely for you. Do not expect a fast paced thriller. The story needs six episodes to unfold. Photography, dialogues, acting and scenario are decent, not special, but good enough. The only aspects that seems out of place are some of the theme songs. O right, the scenes filmed in driving cars are technically very poor. Not every series can have 10 stars.

This was a cop drama that had several strands with some of them having happened in the past and retold as flashbacks. This didn't make for a particularly cohesive story even though events in the past impinged greatly on the present-day investigation. At times it was rather hard to get the various timelines and events meshed together and melded in one's head.

There were a few loose ends too - we never got to know who the top dog was for instance. Where did the junkies go after eviction? And a couple of scenes were not credible - falling from a very tall building is fatal but not in the series - the guy was out of bed within a couple of weeks. These aren't strong enough hooks to be cliffhangers.

However the plot moved on at a fast pace involving input from family members as well as normal and methodical police work. On balance I'd say that I enjoyed the show.

Edit: There are no "spoilers" here in the sense used by this site. Please don't flag it again.

This six part series is set in what was a coal mining area of East Germany; now the mining has stopped and there are plans to attract tourists by converting the huge pits into lakes. As the story opens the body of a teenage girl is found on the shore of one of these lakes. Maik Briegand, a local man who now works for the national police force leads to investigation with new partner Annalena Gottknecht. There are quite a few suspects; the homeless man who found the body, her boyfriend, a local policeman who is involved with her mother, a property developer and a group of environmental campaigners based in nearby woods.

I thought this was a solid murder mystery that is told effectively. Key characters are quickly introduced as the investigation gets underway. Good use is made of the fact that this used to be East Germany with older residents missing the certainty of a job in the mine while younger people want nothing to do with polluting coal. There are enough suspects to keep one guessing right till the final reveal. The cast does a solid job. Overall a decent murder mystery set in an interesting location, worth watching if you enjoy the genre.

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

Very hard to get into this one. As a true crime author, I usually love true crime series, especially crimes set in Europe. It was disjointed and not really focused on the murder or the investigation. There were some characters who didn't seem to fit the narrative. Some of the others had too much going on that didn't seem to make any sense with respect to the crime. I had a hard time following the plot line.

I am searching to see if there are any other documentaries about this crime to compare it to, but if not, I would not recommend this one if you are a true crime junkie. You'll know after the first episode of you should keep watching.

Each episode begins with a melancholy, deep voice, accompanied by images captured in warm yellow tones, ranging from wildly romantic to excerpts of a mysterious murder. The action takes place against the backdrop of a disused coal mine in Lusatia, which symbolizes environmental pollution and the downfall, the past of the GDR. Quote from Lauchhammer: "one of the most expensive disposable items of reunification".

As German productions like to attach great importance to conveying a message, classic old and current clichés are used here once again to raise a warning finger. So you can already guess that we have to deal with East German frustration and the climate stickers, whether we like it or not. Unfortunately, the moral ambitions are usually so high that it sometimes seems overloaded.

Unfortunately, German productions lack the courage to go their own way, so they follow in the footsteps of tried and tested colleagues from abroad. As a result, the two main investigators are made up of a quiet, emphatic man and a mostly newly assigned socially incompetent female colleague, as is currently very popular. He has his roots where the murder took place and has to come to terms with his past. As a result, the story is spread across different timelines and an earlier murder and several social stories are told in parallel. On the one hand, this makes for a multi-layered story, but it also distracts more and more from the actual murder case, which fades into the background.

The story unfolds slowly but builds up the suspense constantly, despite a few "social" gap fillers, some of which drag on a little. There are always enough suspects to keep you guessing until the case is finally solved.

The entire cast does a solid job. Little Dustin, who took my heart by storm, is particularly endearing. Lucas Gregorowic, who I really like, was absolutely convincing in his role. The dialog also stands out positively overall. The technical realization is excellent, capturing a great melancholic mood with a beautiful image and color design. The camera, lighting and editing deserve praise here, they are much better than the average German series.

Unfortunately, the characterization is too negative, clichéd and flat for me. The old East Germans who weep for their GDR, the drug-addicted mother in cheap "Berlin-Marzahn" clothes with a child without a father. And of course the Fridays for Future group of the vegan granddaughter with protests and "forest occupation". This gives the whole series the feel of an environmental protection lecture with a 4.1/2 hour message: "Coal is bad, meat is bad, save the planet". Which is basically not a bad thing if you don't just keep asking yourself the question, "Who else was the murder victim?"

------------- Conclusion:

So-so - For fans of German crime thrillers, this is a high-quality production worth seeing that stands out from the classic Tatort, is multi-layered and wonderfully shot.