I told myself I would watch this thing & write a review, since there seemed scant offerings at IMDB. I agree the topic of the film is unsettling, but I can assure you the presentation is NOT lurid in any way. An over-the-hill, but talented German lawyer, Dr. Schlesinger is offered a lucrative sum to defend (and secure the release of) one of 26 adults incarcerated for 'allegedly' interfering with children in the quiet town of Ottern in Germany. The 'DA' and the principal consultant for the Prosecution are passionately convinced of the accused's collective guilt in the case (and the group has been held in pre-custody for months).
It falls to Schlesinger to review the actual evidence & statements to see if there is concrete evidence of guilt. He is recruited (and handily-paid) for the case by an old associate, a 'smoky' enforcer named Azra, played brilliantly by a Turkish actress, Narges Rashidi. We meet Azra in Episode 2 when she pays an unfriendly visit to Schlesinger for another purpose--to collect a debt he owes to a Chinese lender. Once he settles, she pitches him the Ottern case and he accepts. Azra stays in contact & proves to be an effective 'handler' & chauffeur for Schlesinger, but she seems to have a shadowy agenda for the case. Whatever that may be, she is no one to be trifled with, as we see in the only 'nudity' in the film, when she changes clothes after an encounter with non-cooperative thugs.
The story is based on actual events in Germany in the 90's. The viewer has the opportunity to weigh the 'evidence' and the shortcuts taken by the Prosecution to put the case to trial. The conclusion seems never in doubt, but the ending comes with a couple of brutal shocks anyway. After 7 episodes, I scrambled to find #8--and realized it was over. My biggest shock since THE USUAL SUSPECTS. 9/10.
It falls to Schlesinger to review the actual evidence & statements to see if there is concrete evidence of guilt. He is recruited (and handily-paid) for the case by an old associate, a 'smoky' enforcer named Azra, played brilliantly by a Turkish actress, Narges Rashidi. We meet Azra in Episode 2 when she pays an unfriendly visit to Schlesinger for another purpose--to collect a debt he owes to a Chinese lender. Once he settles, she pitches him the Ottern case and he accepts. Azra stays in contact & proves to be an effective 'handler' & chauffeur for Schlesinger, but she seems to have a shadowy agenda for the case. Whatever that may be, she is no one to be trifled with, as we see in the only 'nudity' in the film, when she changes clothes after an encounter with non-cooperative thugs.
The story is based on actual events in Germany in the 90's. The viewer has the opportunity to weigh the 'evidence' and the shortcuts taken by the Prosecution to put the case to trial. The conclusion seems never in doubt, but the ending comes with a couple of brutal shocks anyway. After 7 episodes, I scrambled to find #8--and realized it was over. My biggest shock since THE USUAL SUSPECTS. 9/10.