Blood ties - Season 1 - DVD

Film: It seems to be the perfect idyll: on a picturesque island in the Swedish archipelago Anna-Lisa Waldemar runs a small guesthouse. Here the world is still in order and the guests can escape the stress of everyday life in the big city. Who wouldn't want to live here? Obviously Anna-Lisa's children Lasse and Jonna, who left the island years ago to start a new life in Stockholm - she as an actress, he as a restaurant owner. Only their brother Oscar has stayed to help run the guesthouse with his wife Liv. All three children are surprised when Anna-Lisa calls Lasse and Joanna to the island. The shock is even greater when she is found dead a short time later. Only now do the three siblings discover what Anna-Lisa really had in mind: in her will she had stipulated that her children would only inherit if they ran the boarding house together for a season. With her suicide, she apparently wanted not only to save the guesthouse, but also to reunite the estranged siblings. At the same time, they will be forced to confront their past and deal with unresolved conflicts. But in doing so, very dark family secrets are stirred up that could deepen the rift between the siblings...

Blutsbande is an occasionally quite dark family drama from Sweden by producer Henrik Jansson-Schweizer (The Centenarian Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared). The series thrives on its fine cast and atmospheric imagery, in which the beauty of the island in the Swedish archipelago is perfectly juxtaposed with the dark family secrets. It takes a little while for the whole thing to get going, though. The first two episodes build up the plot somewhat tenaciously. This impression is intensified by the almost depressing images. Only when the siblings have gotten together and the operation in the picturesque guest house is running at full speed, the series also finds a pace that carries the viewer along and captivates to the action.

It is very good that the inherently rather conventional and not entirely cliché-free plot elements are repeatedly interspersed with slightly bitter humor and thus establishes an entertainingly nasty undertone. Of course, it's clear that when something (which, of course, shall not be revealed here) is sunk in a bay, of all places, a group of divers check into the guesthouse to dive for an old wreck right there. And it's also clear that the kiss between two former lovers, but now better not get physically close, is being witnessed by, of all people, the person who should definitely not be witnessing this exchange of affection. Normally, such predictable dramaturgical twists are almost silly and testify to little originality. But the way they are served up here just works and entertains even when you know exactly what's coming next.

But there are also some surprising family secrets that are gradually revealed here. And these then also ensure that the series is not only entertaining, but sometimes also really exciting. The actors harmonize very well with each other and additionally give the story an engaging credibility, which also leads to the fact that the conventional plot structure is presented far away from any form of boredom. If you have a soft spot for Nordic family dramas and generally for rousing TV fare from Scandinavia, you should definitely fight your way through the tough beginning and give Blutsbande a chance. It's worth it!

Image + Sound: The atmospheric images of the island landscape in the Swedish archipelago can unfold well on the DVD. Although there are slight drops in detail here and there, particularly in the darker scenes, overall the decent overall sharpness and very atmospheric colouring leave a very positive overall impression. The same goes for the audio, which is in stereo and more than satisfactorily fulfils its primary purpose - to make the dialogue and some atmospheric ambient noises sound well-matched. Good!

Extras: Unfortunately, the box has no bonus material to offer.

Conclusion:Blutsbande is another Nordic TV gem that scores with an engaging visual language, a dense production, a profound story and good actors. The sustained pace makes it a somewhat unwieldy affair at first. But those who get involved will soon be captivated by the bitterly evil family story and won't let go until the end of the season. And at the end of the last episode is then actually only one realization: Season 2 can not come soon enough! The DVD presents the series in atmospheric picture and sound quality, only the lack of any bonus material is a little negative. Overall, however, there is a very clear: Absolutely worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp