The investigation into the disappearance of 21 young people is taken up again by the sister of one of the disappeared, 20 years after the event.
One of the latest Netflix releases of the year just finished, has been the mini series Equinox, made by Apple Tree Productions in co-production with Denmark and the United States.
The mini-series was created by the Danish director and writer, Tea Lindeburg, who has a respectable audiovisual career in her country, known for being one of the directors of the series Kødkataloget, which had six seasons. She is also the wife of the musician Kristian Leth. She is currently in post-production on the film Høst, written and directed by her.
I have read some news on the Internet, on film and television websites, with headlines that are actually a cyber-magazine. Incredibly, the news is spreading like the new "Dark". Lies! It's definitely part of a promotional campaign, paid for by Netflix to bring these kinds of claims to light. Equinox is not the new Dark, they are different series and in fact they have nothing in common.
What is the plot?
Astrid has a radio program that deals with superstitions and supernatural things. Twenty years ago, in 1999, her older sister, Ida, who was celebrating her high school graduation, disappeared, along with 24 classmates, of whom only 3 were found. One day, Jakob, one of those found who was Ida's boyfriend, calls her live on the radio program, claiming he has seen it all and knows what happened to the 21 missing people. Then, the protagonist of the story, decides to return to her hometown, to find Jakob and investigate on her own to find out what happened.
The story is told in two time frames. That of the year 2019, where Astrid begins to investigate everything related to the disappearance of her sister and other companions, a case that has been closed by the police and there is no logical explanation possible.
The other time frame tells us, in the form of flashbacks, about Ida's life, her relationship with Jakob and her other classmates, slowly unraveling the mystery.
The intrigue and the mystery to be solved, lead the protagonist to discover that everything is related to ancient pagan rites, where they venerate a kind of semi-human God, and where the date of the equinox is an important factor and has to do with what happened. Rituals, symbols, secrets and the warning that a similar event will happen again, make each episode entertaining, as they reveal details of the story.
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The whole part that shows the pagan rite, which is celebrated in one of the islands, was what I liked the most, although it doesn't go into much depth. It is a mini series of six episodes, with a mystery with supernatural ingredients and some psychological thriller, explained in a simple way, with the usual hooks that leave us wanting to find out everything as soon as possible.
It is very well done, besides the fact that it is short, only six episodes, but in spite of all the positive things, I cannot say that it is a marvel. It's a good production, with an interesting plot and a great performance by the lead actress. That's why the news that compares it to the German series is exaggerated and is a marketing move.
Actress Danica Curcic is the main character in the story, playing Astrid, the woman who 20 years after the disappearance of the 21 students, including her older sister, embarks on an investigation to find an explanation for what happened. Her character also lives constant nightmares and memories of the past, which we will see as the episodes progress, with surprising discoveries.
Curcic won the Shooting Star Award at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2014, and made his debut in Danish cinema with the film Over kanten. He is of Danish nationality, but of Serbian origin. She is also known for her work in another Netflix series, The Mist.
Her performance is the strongest in the series, and it is she who helps us keep an eye on the mystery that the story presents. The actress has an exotic beauty and an excellent career, with appearances in several Danish TV series and movies.
Among the other actors in the mini-series, one of the best known is Alexandre Willaume, who has a long career in film and television in Denmark, playing Henrik, a former teacher in the class, who seems to know more than he says, and the actress Hanne Hedelund, who is well known in her country, plays Lena, mother of Ida and Astrid. The others are young actors, of whom I know very little. Viola Martinsen plays Astrid at the age of 9. Karoline Hamm plays Ida, Astrid's missing sister. Fanny Bornedal is Amelia, Ida's friend. August Carter plays Jakob and Ask Truelsen plays Falke.
Tea Lindeburg writes the story, with a team of well-known guinoists: Mette Kruse,Tue Walin Storm, Andreas Garfield, Jacob Katz, Bo Mikkelsen, Mie Skjoldemose. The direction of the episodes is divided between Søren Balle and Mads Matthiesen, two Danish filmmakers with experience in film and television series.
Equinox is a good series, you can watch it quickly because it is six episodes, it is a psychological thriller with supernatural touches, Nordic pagan rites. I think it's a good choice, I found it entertaining. But don't think that it is a production comparable to the successful Dark, that is false, that type of information what it does is create false expectations.
I hope you like it, it's available on Netflix.
My Ranking: 3.2/5
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