There is a problem with watching a series based on a book that you have not read. You never know which details were omitted or altered to convert the words into visuals. The problem remains the same with Dear Child, a Netflix series.

This six-part mini-series has been a chart-topper for Netflix in the past weeks, and not without reason. Based on the novel Liebes Kind by German author Romy Hausmann, a bestseller of 2019, this is a creepy tale that depicts the convoluted psychological games of a serial killer and weaves a semi-complex plot. The plot immediately reminded me of the 2015 movie Room which was another dark tale.

The Germany-produced thriller starts with a woman (Kim Riedle) escaping from captivity with her 12-year-old daughter (Naila Schuberth), but leaving the younger son Jonathan behind. While escaping she is hit by a car and is brought to a hospital. The daughter puzzles the investigators with her odd behaviour and the chain of events directs them towards a hunt for the mysterious “papa” of the family.

The investigation is led by Detective Aida Kurt (Haley Louise Jones) and CID agent Gerd Bühling (Hans Löw). Gerd has been trying to unravel the mysterious disappearance of a young woman Lena, for the past 13 years without success The fragmented narrative shifts between the present day and flashbacks of past events, dragging the viewers into a web of murder, torture, and anxiety. 

Co-writer and co-director Julian Pörksen told Netflix’s Die Woche, “These are all damaged characters: people who are severely scarred by a crime and deal with it very differently. The perpetrator is often the focus of such series and is glorified as a mysterious, dark force.”

There is no doubt that Dear Child has tons of darkness in it. The burden of life and the trauma of the harrowing events hang heavily on each of the characters. But the person we learn the least about is the killer. We never realize how his mind works and why some of his actions are unlike that of a cold calculating psychopath.

That said, the performances are gripping for all the performers. Kim Riedle, Naila Schuberth, Haley Louise Jones, Hans Löw, and Julika Jenkins, whom you may know from Dark, give life to their characters.

There are plenty of twists along the way, but not all of them have a significant impact on the main plot. As viewers, we become a part of the psychological game that is being played by a killer. With 45-minute episodes, Dear Child keeps the narrative tight and tense in most parts. 

The problem is, once you scratch the surface, the unconvincing aspects of the plot rise up like bubbles. And that makes it frustrating, considering that the series delves surprisingly deep into various aspects of criminal investigation at times.

How does the killer get his hands on anti-personnel mines and why don’t the investigators follow that trail? Why does Gerd Bühling act as a lone wolf in the end, jeopardizing the lives of Jasmine, and probably Hannah, in the hands of a serial killer? How believable is it for a child to strike an adult unconscious with a small tree branch?

What can tick off discerning viewers is the fact that Dear Child is so busy delving into the darkness of human minds that it fails to tie some loose ends together. Beyond the unanswered questions, joining some of the pieces is like stretching two springs beyond their elastic limits.

So, is Dear Child worth streaming?

If you are a fan of dark psychological thrillers, yes. But don’t expect a leakproof plot that allows the pieces of the puzzle to come together organically. 

By Suvajit Banerjee

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