“Dear Child” A Fascinating Mystery Resurfaces

A review of Netflix’s Dear Child

I’m just going to say it: Germans do it better. And by “it,” I mean producing enigmatic, darkly beautiful shows. This year’s Dear Child is a limited series on Netflix, and it was almost as binge-able as 1899.

I say almost because Dear Child wasn’t quite as wild as 1899 or Dark, two of the other German series to find wide success outside of Deutschland.

Dear Child was directed by Isabel Kleefield and Julian Porksen and stars Kim Reidle. Reidle’s character wakes up after a hit and run nearly killed her. The ambulance brought her uninjured child, Hannah (Naila Schubert), to the hospital, where she’s interviewed by Nurse Ruth. The actress who plays Ruth, Birge Schade, gives a beautifully natural and understated performance.

Ruth gets information from Hannah that gets stranger and more alarming as their conversations continue .Hannah divulges that everyone must show Papa their hands every time he gets home in order to prove they don’t have anything that will hurt him. Hannah, her mom, and her little brother Jonathon are to drink exactly the amount of water Papa wants them to, and they’re only allowed to use the toilet at the times he’s scheduled for them.

Riedle’s character’s hospitalization restarts an investigation that went cold years…