Babylon Berlin
2017
Original language: German
- drama
- crime
- mystery
The story
Beneath the decadence of 1929 Berlin, lies an underworld city of sin. Police investigator Gereon Rath has been transferred from Cologne to the epicenter of political and social changes in the Golden Twenties.
What it’s like
Smoky, lacquered Weimar nights: neon sign glow and deep blue shadow in dance halls, gaslit cobbles, pale morning light through tenement windows, and a palette of amber, bruised violet and cold green that makes every room feel slightly feverish. The camera moves with restless energy, handheld through crowded cabarets and tracking down crowded streets, then settles into formal, carefully composed interiors where faces are framed by doorways and mirrors. Sound is layered and urban: jazz bleeding through walls, trams, typewriters, a ticking undercurrent of menace. The vibe is decadent and anxious, a cynical crime-noir set against a city tipping toward catastrophe, with a sophisticated, grimy glamour. It suits a long weekend binge, late nights alone with the lights low, or fans of period crime. Violence is regular and sometimes sudden, with gunfire, beatings and corpses presented realistically; there is some sexual content and drug use, and the dread of political brutality hangs over much of it. Pacing is unhurried in the slow-burn investigations and brisk in the action. Its people are compromised and morally tangled, and the emotional arc follows an idealistic outsider sliding into complicity. It is for viewers who want atmosphere, historical texture and moral grey over comfort.
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