Review of Znaki

As this Polish series opens a young woman is seen walking while talking on her phone; suddenly she is fatally shot by an unknown assailant. The action moves forward ten years; Commissioner Michal Trela has recently taken over as the head of the local police and there has been another, almost identical murder. Many suspects will emerge; a local religious group; those working at a new quarry and even people looking for rumoured Nazi technology which was apparently made during the wartime occupation. As the story progresses there are inevitably more murders and the discovery of older human remains.

I really enjoyed this series; there was a good sense of mystery... not just the question of who the killer is but also the sense that the ultimate answer to some questions could be Nazi sci-fi or even supernatural in nature. Some questions are answered at the end of the first season but more are raised before it ends. Similarly the ending of the second season left me keen for there to be a third as question marks hand over the lives of certain key characters. The cast does a fine job bringing their characters to life and the setting adds to the atmosphere... I had no idea rural Poland was so beautiful. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to mystery fans looking for something a little different.

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