After a week’s gap since Stranger Things 4 streamed on Netflix, the streaming giant is back with a new web series, The Perfect Mother. It is a German show containing only four episodes.
Though length is not an issue, there are many points The Perfect Mother hits and misses. Here’s my review of the German show on Netflix.
The Perfect Mother Review Summary
While trying to be too subtle in execution, The Perfect Mother loses its sheen and concludes as a massive mess of unsatisfactory storytelling. Regardless, the series does have several positives to look at.
The Perfect Mother Synopsis
When Anya Berg finds herself in the middle of a gruesome murder, she calls her family for help. Depressed by the tragic news of her daughter getting arrested, Helene Berg takes charge to save Anya.
The series is based on Nina Darnton’s novel by the same name and stars Julie Gayet (Helene Berg), Tomer Sisley (Vincent Duc), Eden Ducourant (Anya Berg), Andreas Pietschmann (Matthias Berg), and Maxim Driesen (Lukas Berg) in lead roles.
It is directed by Fred Garson and falls in the category of crime thriller shows.
Number of Episodes: 4
Total Duration: Approximately 3 Hrs 12 minutes.
What Works for The Perfect Mother?
Decent Writing
Despite originating from a novel, the Netflix show creates a decent narrative for the screen. Crisp writing, focusing more on deliverables than convenience, allows The Perfect Mother to stay on the right track.
It never feels like traveling away from the promised concept, which helps make the plot somewhat savory.
Performances
Top-notch performances by the lead cast are one of the things that make The Perfect Mother bearable. Playing Helene on the screen, Julie Gayet delivers a sensibly balanced act. She is, by far, the best performer of the series and leads the story proficiently.
Her immaculate expressions and dialogues seem perfectly blended with emotions and dexterity. She never screams for attention and instead treads on an obstacle-ridden path to pave a triumphant way for herself.
Julie does look like the perfect actor; however, she is let down by the script to become the ideal mother.
Eden Ducourant has a pivotal role in The Perfect Mother. She plays Anya Berg, who has a lot of shades to her personality. The actor never ceases to give up on the layers of her character. It is profoundly hard to pretend to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
But Eden makes it look like a walk in the park. Be it emotions, trepidations, or a victim’s trauma, the astute actress brings everything perfectly to the screen.
Tomer Sisley, as Vincent Duc, plays a lawyer in The Perfect Mother and presents a succinct portrayal full of elegance and wit. He assures the viewer of a delectable experience and never fails to deliver the same. Sisley’s well-developed physique furthers his overt reflection of the character.
I remember Andreas Pietschmann from Dark, the German time-travel series. He plays Matthias Berg in The Perfect Mother but doesn’t have much to work upon. His character has limitations, resulting in a below-average screen time.
However, Andreas excels in whatever he does. His stylish and grand appearance demands consistent viewing. The actor relinquishes his intense attitude for the series and surprises viewers with his emotional side. He is a father far from being perfect and has several drawbacks.
And that is precisely why I call the series more about an imperfect father than a perfect mother.
What Doesn’t Work for The Perfect Mother?
Old Concept
The Perfect Mother is based on an idea explored several times in movies and shows. We are treated with elements like drugs, ambiguous victims, and, most importantly, a mother’s quest to save her child.
Recently, in Wrong Side of the Tracks, we had a grandfather trying to protect her granddaughter from drugs and criminals. It is also streaming on Netflix. What I want to convey is that since the concept is not novel, you can already guess a lot of things about the story.
From the various threads of the story to the climax, the fact that the show is about a mother’s efforts to save her child keeps you unengaged. Moreover, you would expect twice of what you get to witness, leading to disappointment.
Not Compelling Enough
I can understand there can be innumerable movies and shows based on a similar idea. And they can be a good watch as well. However, for that to happen, the plot needs to be enthralling, which is only half true for The Perfect Mother.
The makers had a decent story at hand, and they even tried their best to implement it with components of mystery and crime thrill. However, the idea’s limitations didn’t allow them to have a flying run.
Feels Dreary
Imagine a show having only four episodes, all of them roughly forty minutes long. Shouldn’t it be sensationally stimulating, given its mystery and suspense genre? The problem with The Perfect Mother is its inability to maintain a tight grip on the audience’s mind.
Some more cerebral twists, accentuated by a captivating screenplay, would have helped the show’s cause. Often, The Perfect Mother feels sluggish and uninteresting, sending you into a deep state of laziness.
The first episode is evocative and demands sudden interest from the viewer, but thereafter, the show is more of a bumpy ride.
A Massive Goof Up
The story of The Perfect Mother is set in the modern-day, but there are things it entirely misses just to keep the story going. Whenever there’s a crime, one of the first things the police do is check the phone records of those involved.
However, that doesn’t happen in The Perfect Mother. Investigating officers conduct tests, both medical and non-medical, but don’t check the call logs of the accused. The case was done and dusted had they analyzed the same.
Final Word
The first couple of episodes of The Perfect Mother are decent and evoke enough curiosity. However, the rest two are fluffy and further diminished by some logical flaws. If you can sustain a predictable storyline and crave a short series, you can watch it.
FAQs
Will there be a second season of The Perfect Mother?
There is no official announcement about the second season of The Perfect Mother. Also, since the first season only has four episodes, it is improbable that the show will come back for another outing.
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