Sara: Woman in the Shadows

Both the positive and the negative reviews by others are correct: This show is slow to develop (and annoying with a giant McGuffin), not always credible, and often awkward. Plot development relies far too much on the central character's modest superpowers -- lip-reading and uncannily precise body-language interpretation. The series' threadbare budget is problematic (e.g., a supposedly big end-of-campaign rally for a populist politician with maybe 30 extras in attendance). But the acting is quite good, the gritty settings in Naples are powerful, and the story becomes more complex and more engaging as the series progresses.

If you are looking for action, forget it, there isn't any. If it offends you that all male characters are some combination of incompetent, evil, morally compromised, and unfaithful, then look elsewhere. (The women are morally compromised and highly competent.)

One collateral complaint: There are at least a dozen actors in substantial roles who are not identified in any cast listing. It's bizarre: The cast list has people with one or two lines in one episode, but does not identify actors playing characters who appear in multiple scenes in almost all of the episodes and have meaningful functions in the plot.

Not sure how there can be so many high-star reviews for this show. First, the dialogue is poor, as is the pacing! And the direction is also very poor. Then there's the main character. She was just not really all that interesting. And who leaves their boy at 6 years old and never talks to him again? I gave it 2 stars since we (my wife and I) did finish it, but I can't recommend it since it's just so slow. I'm not going to waste my time give a summary, since it's not worth it to watch. We suggest "The Lincoln Lawyer" or even "Bodyguard" instead. And if you seen those, there plenty others better than this series.

I've watch a lot of European series and normally Italian ones take 15 mins to make a point BUT THIS IS THE VERY BEST IVE SEEN THE STORY CAST FILMING IS EXCELLENT 5 ***** I just wished the Italians could do less emotional and flying of the handle it little less I had a Italian girlfriend she was beautiful intelligent and very loving but cross her NEVER SLEEP WITH BOTH EYES SHUT KEEP ONE Open 🤷‍♂️ It's well worth watching even some funny lines in it but that helps bring out the characters in real life Enjoy 😉 from start to the end it keeps you alert and the first episode has a superb outcome and unexpected 👍

Sara: La Donna nell'Ombra is a quietly powerful thriller that stands out not through explosive action, but through its masterful restraint. What lingers most is how the solitude-both chosen and suddenly imposed-of the main characters is rendered with remarkable subtlety. Silence, whispers, and pared-down dialogues carry emotional weight, allowing moments to breathe and tension to simmer.

Though set in Naples, the series resists cliché. It offers glimpses of the city's beauty alongside its rougher edges, and refreshingly, the Camorra is kept in the background, if present at all. Casual touches of black humour bring levity without undercutting the story's seriousness, adding a unique texture to an otherwise taut narrative.

A thoughtful, atmospheric series that values nuance over spectacle-Sara stays with you longer than you expect.

I've watched well over 200 Netflix shows, and Sara: Woman in the Shadows is, hands down, the worst one I've actually made it to the end of. And I did finish it, so it's not unwatchable-but it came close.

The biggest problem is how utterly unbelievable the scenes are. For example, a young woman-who looks barely in her 20s-is supposed to be a colonel in the Italian army. Then an older woman (a total stranger) just breaks into her flat to talk about the colonel's love life... and they chat like they're catching up in a pub. This sort of flat, unrealistic interaction happens constantly.

I don't think the actors are to blame-they seem competent-but the writing is truly poor. It often feels like a parody of a spy drama, except it's not funny enough to work as parody.

That said, the plot is mildly interesting, and a few actors are likeable, which is probably the only reason I got through it.