New series “Helgoland 513”
Doomsday “Made in Germany”
Island boss Beatrice (Martina Gedeck, front) and 512 other people – there is no room for more in “Helgoland 513”.
© 2023 Sky Deutschland/UFA Fiction/Frédéric Batier
With the Sky Original “Helgoland 513” a dark vision of the future awaits us. Is the end of the world “Made in Germany” worth it?
Whether due to a nuclear war, a highly contagious epidemic or the recently so inflationary zombie plague – Hollywood has already let the world end countless times. All the more refreshing that the apocalypse is happening thanks to the new, high-quality drama series “Heligoland 513″ is now making its way to Germany. To be precise, from March 15th, when the production by UFA Fiction celebrates its premiere on behalf of Sky Studios. But is Heligoland worth a trip even in the dystopian future?
Be indispensable – that’s what it’s all about
In less than two decades there will be nothing left of today’s civilization. After the outbreak of a pandemic, humanity was reduced to a minimum. On the mainland, the law of the strongest prevails, which means: If the virus doesn’t take you away, then one of the roving gangs will or starve to death.
Only on the small island of Helgoland does there still exist a form of government – but it has nothing to do with humanity either: a strict wagon-castle mentality has developed towards the outside world. Anyone who is allowed to live on Heligoland but is negatively noticed there due to poor performance or too many violations will quickly end up at the bottom of a ranking list. If a newborn is born on the island, it is better not to be at the bottom of the list. Because on Heligoland the population is always the same: 513.
Is this life still worth living?
The totalitarian world order on Heligoland in the frighteningly near future is as pragmatic as it is ruthless: Anyone who has an indispensable benefit finds themselves at the top of the ranking, which literally decides between life and death. A doctor, for example, will never have to worry about his continued existence despite some missteps – a writer of series reviews, on the other hand, will probably have been buried for a long time.
The seven episodes of “Helgoland 513” are dedicated to several fundamental questions: How inhumane can a system be in order to ensure its own continued existence? What character traits such as denunciation and selfishness do it reveal? And do the rules really only apply until they affect the people who made them?
Films like “The Hunger Games” with Jennifer Lawrence (33) or “Elysium” with Matt Damon (53) depicted a similarly bleak future world in which the division in society has reached its maximum and the figurative fight for survival has long since become a literal one became. “Helgoland 513” still manages to give this well-known narrative new relevance.
This is possible thanks to the geographical and temporal proximity. This is not about New York in the year 2450, “Helgoland 513” returns to your own doorstep and not 15 years from the present. We didn’t have to look far for real inspiration: punks who traveled to Sylt in protest (and thanks to the Deutschlandticket), demonstrating against the supposed two-class society – only to be feared like lepers by some villa owners and thus have their theory confirmed. In some minds, the social rankings from “Helgoland 513” have long been around.
Dystopia expert as showrunner
A man who is very familiar with the collapse of our society is responsible for the Sky Original as showrunner and director. Robert Schwentke (56) also directed two of the three post-apocalyptic “Destiny” films, which are based on the novels of the same name by Veronica Roth. Meanwhile, he dealt with real human abysses in the award-winning war drama “The Captain”.
In “Helgoland 513” he could rely on a diverse cast: “The Lives of Others” star Martina Gedeck (62) plays the strict island boss Beatrice, while László Branko Breiding (30) embodies her son. Kathrin Angerer (53), Samuel Finzi (58), Antje Traue (43) and Alexander Fehling (42) can be seen in other roles. The latter star plays island doctor Marek, who despite everything has not yet given up hope for a vaccine – so there is a little reason for optimism.
From March 15th, the entire season will be available on demand on Sky and on the streaming service Wow, as well as two new episodes of “Helgoland 513” on Sky One every Friday at 8:15 p.m.