It is no secret that German TV, in general and even applying low expectations to the genre as such, in one word, sucks. No doubt about it. In spite of the many state-owned channels, that by all means should have the potential to produce some decent quality, the arrival of private television in the 80s had the numbing effect of universally lowering the bar – drastically. However, every now and then one of the state channels will launch a so-called prestige project to fight off criticism of dumbing down the masses. Every now and then, those projects are quite good. Sometimes, they can even be excellent, such as the ARD’s most recent venture into quality country, called Dreileben.
A series of three feature films, Dreileben brings together three of Germany’s best and audacious directors, namely Christoph Hochhäusler, Dominik Graf and Christian Petzold. While the entire series is loosely based around the story of a murderer escaping prison in a small village in East Germany, each part tells a very different story against the same backdrop. While some characters and elements might be at the centre of one episode, they will only briefly make an appearance in the next. In the meantime, each episode has its own distinct rhythm and handwriting owed to the three directors. What’s more important: each episode is in its own way rather brilliant.
All three parts were screened last Monday in one full-evening marathon, but thanks to the wonders of the internet, you can catch up on them here – or you could, until yesterday. See, that’s German television for you: the good things never last.
