This is the best dramatization of the effects of drug use and addiction I've seen in quite some time. Julia Jentsch is superb as Michelle, the distraught mother of Janine, a 20-year-old drug addict and pusher who has gone missing. The series follows Michelle in her quest to find Janine, who the audience only sees glimpses of in various poses and locations. The story pulls in individuals in Janine's orbit but especially her friends, most of whom are drug addicts themselves. The obstacles placed in front of Michelle from being stymied by law enforcement, her family, and friends ring true. No one knows where Janine is. Her friends have seen her only in passing with no one able to pinpoint where exactly where. One witnessed her jumping or being pushed from a car no one recognizes. Michelle has to find answers and she is unrelenting to find them at whatever the cost. In the meantime, she is fighting a custody battle with her ex-husband over their young daughter, whom Michelle clings to tenaciously even though her ex's wealth and stable family life may be the better option. The portrayal of those addicted to, in this case, "crystal meth," is real and harrowing. The series does an excellent job showing how drug addiction affects not only the user but the entire family. From the haughty Leo, the father of Janine's friend Manu, also a drug addict, who wants it all to go away to the son of Hungarian refugees, who are clueless about their son's drug activity. Drug addiction is not pretty. Drug addicts care about one thing and one thing only...getting their next fix. School goes by the wayside as do relationships within the families. Drug addicts will steal, prostitute themselves, and become involved with thugs who care only about the money they've loaned to these desperate souls almost always having bad results. The picture is bleak with only hints of hope, which are almost as immediately quashed as they appear. In the end, we are left with the broken bodies and relationships that accumulate along life's way. I recommend this series if you want to see excellent acting and directing from all involved in the most unsettling context of drug addiction and its hold on those who struggle to escape its grasp.
Review of Das Verschwinden
