Netflix series “Dear Child” – exciting and disturbing until the end

Streaming review

Netflix
New thriller series “Dear Child” – exciting and disturbing until the end

“Liebes Kind” is currently number one on the Netflix series charts in Germany. A story about kidnapping, abuse, psychological torture and murder – and with shocking twists right up to the end.

A woman runs through a forest at night, scantily dressed, and appears to be fleeing from someone. When she sees the lights of a car, she runs towards it. The driver of the car doesn’t see the blonde woman in the dark and drives her over. Entries like this are probably more common series or films. But everything that happens afterwards in the new Netflix mini-series “Liebes Kind”, for which the novel by author Romy Hausmann served as a template, is no longer so usual.

Netflix series “Dear Child”: The woman whose name is supposedly Lena

The woman who had an accident is picked up in an ambulance because an unknown person called the emergency number. But there is no trace of the driver or the accident car. It is assumed that the person committed a hit-and-run. The only thing that is surprising is where the little girl suddenly comes from who claims that the seriously injured woman is her mother. She introduces herself to the paramedics as Hannah and seems quite carefree and cool. Just as if she didn’t really care about her mother Lena’s health. When she arrives at the hospital, Lena, played by Kim Riedle, first undergoes surgery. And because Hannah told the paramedics in the ambulance that her mom had AB-negative blood type and the child believed the story, her mom almost died in the operating room.

During this time, the nurse Ruth looks after twelve-year-old Hanna (played by Naila Schuberth). She gives the child a cardigan and talks to him. And little by little, more and more details come to light. Hannah says her mom was often unfocused, would bump herself on the edge of the table and often couldn’t make it to the toilet without help. But if everyone followed the rules, everything would be fine and there would be no penalties. Hannah also says that she has a little brother named Jonathan who is still home alone. She also seems to be very sensitive to light. The nurse becomes more and more suspicious about the strange conversation with the girl and contacts the police.

The police investigation

The criminal police officer Aida Kurt (Hailey Louise Jones) and the police officer Gerd Bühling (Hans Löw) from the State Criminal Police Office begin their investigation and gradually find out that Lena’s actual name is Jasmin and that she was kidnapped. Jasmin tells the officers that an unknown perpetrator locked her with the children in a basement without windows for months.

The kidnapper seems to be perfectly organized. His psychological games have a huge impact on the victims. He manipulates the children into keeping quiet or even lying. He uses psychological abuse to ensure that the kidnapped woman suffers severe trauma. What she still has to struggle with even after her release. So much so that it influences the work of the police. From episode to episode, the viewer is confronted with new puzzles, which keeps the series exciting until the end.