The Forest

This six part French series is set in a village in the Ardennes where a sixteen year old girl, Jennifer Lenoir, has gone missing. Leading the investigation is Captain Gaspard Deke, who arrived in the village the day Jennifer went missing. Soon afterwards two more girls vanish, including the adopted daughter of Lt Virginie Musso. Evidence suggests that Jennifer disappeared in the vast forest which surrounds the village. As the series progresses suspects and motives emerge and events occur which will have a profound effect on those involved. A second mystery is provided by a teacher whose true identity is unknown; she was found near the forest as a young child, with no memory of what had happened to her before that.

I found this to be a gripping mystery. The setting is fairly stunning and added to the atmosphere impressively; the forest surrounding the village created a sense of isolation. Having a newly transferred officer lead the investigation serves well to introduce the viewer to the location and its inhabitants as we learn about things as he does. The resolution is satisfying without being too obvious. There are plenty of tense moments, especially towards the end. The cast does a solid job bringing their characters to life. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of subtitled crime drama.

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

I binged this series in one night because I desperately needed a break from reality. For this purpose, it's a very good pick , provided you like beautifully-shot forest scenes and don't mind the borderline insane plot that seems to come with many French miniseries productions. It's got a very nice soundtrack, it's a wild ride overall and it makes a good effort to connect all the loose ends in its last episode, with touching symbolism thrown in as a garnish....What more could one want?

This series has faults but it kept me intrigued until the end. Unlike many Netflix-derived European series these days, this one has competent camera work, disciplined direction and a taut script. Sure, there's some fallible plot points and drawn-out scenes that could have been excised. The incompetent deputy ineptly played by Suzanne Clément almost derails the whole thing, causing me to burst out laughing at the wrong moments, negating the intended dramatic tension. Despite those drawbacks, the cast is solid, the story involving though perhaps far-flung at points. Worth a look even with its drawbacks. I enjoyed it and looked forward to each episode. I can't say that for many Netflix series these days.

No way would a Captain allow his lieutenant to scream at witnesses and act on her own without consulting him...even if it was her daughter missing. She should have been taken off the case immediately or it shouldn't have been her daughter that was missing. Otherwise, excellent drama, good pacing, slow revelations without stupid surprises. Great scenery, good music. A good show of what goes around comes around!

I thought this was really well done. Every one of the 6 episodes contained some kind of revelation and cliffhanger that kept me going onto the next one. I binged watched this series in about 3 days and really enjoyed it. Interesting characters and a plot that kept you guessing. Highly recommended.