gudaulin

My Way is a disjointed kitsch, where the plucking of national heartstrings is supplemented by a deadly dose of pathos and sentimentality. Korean cinema hasn't grown on me, and Je-gyu Kang only deepened my distrust toward it... Overall impression 25%.

Three stars are a bad way to average out a contradictory project that began with my enthusiasm in the first season and ended in deep disappointment during the third season. It must be admitted that the creators managed to extract from very little (the project manages with a minimum of locations and effectively only a handful of actors) an impressive and atmospheric game about time paradoxes and the futile effort to reverse inevitable events and change one's future. Don't expect grandiose images that American producers would create, but even with this minimalism, clever screenwriters demonstrate how little is needed to capture the audience's attention. The series doesn't boast any stars, but the local actors, combined with an interesting theme and a catchy script, can work wonders. What sinks the series in my eyes is its extravagance, the effort to extract the maximum from the idea. Invention gradually fades, repetitiveness grows, playing on fate starts to feel false and tedious, the magic dissipates... The final resolution comes much later than it should. Dark would benefit from restraint, acknowledged modesty, and 10 episodes would have been just right... I must also add to the faults the ridiculous view of the creative team on nuclear energy. I know, we are in the realm of the entertainment industry where nothing can be taken seriously, and Germany is the cradle of anti-nuclear activism, but everything has its limits, and here a series of scenes - judged from an industry insider's perspective - look like an unintended parody... So, I'll leave it at an overall impression of 50%, and next time, please, use a greater dose of judiciousness.

Only very rarely does a series succeed in creating an atmosphere and style that are difficult to liken to anything else. This series exudes bizarreness, darkness, and the mustiness of decades-old, neglected corners of a decaying house full of inhabitants with twisted characters, corroded by invisible evil. Sticky asphalt oozes from the cellars, altering characters and inducing strange hallucinations. No one and nothing can be trusted, and one mystery after another piles up. Even the main character is affected by paranoia, no longer trusting even his own father. For me, far superior to the overrated and overly convoluted Dark. A lot of bang for your buck. Overall impression: 90%.