REVIEW – After the success of season 4 of “Balthazar”, TF1 is launching the mini-series “A perfect mother” tonight, which was originally scheduled to be broadcast last September. An uninspired thriller worn by Julie Gayet, Tomer Sisley, and Eden Ducourant.
What is it about ?
In Berlin, the peaceful and bourgeois life of Hélène Berg is turned upside down following a phone call. His daughter, Anya, a student in Paris, is the main suspect in a murder case. Convinced of her innocence, Hélène takes the first flight to go to her daughter’s side. On the spot, she conducts her own investigation, helped by Vincent, a French lawyer, but also her childhood sweetheart whom she had not seen for twenty years.
But as they progress in their research, Hélène and Vincent discover incriminating evidence against Anya. Doubt creeps in: what if it was true, what if his daughter was guilty?
Thursdays April 28 and May 5 at 9:10 p.m. on TF1
Who is it with?
After the series Soupçons, broadcast on France 3 in 2019, Julie Gayet is back on television with the mini-series A perfect mother, adapted from the eponymous novel by American writer Nina Darnton. The actress, seen recently in The Last Part and What is this grandpa?, Camps Hélène Berg, a mother ready to do anything to save her daughter accused of murder.
Facing her, the star of Balthazar, Tomer Sisley, plays Vincent, Hélène’s childhood sweetheart, and incidentally a lawyer by profession, who will help the heroine in her quest for the truth. A shocking duo that is completed by Eden Ducourant, the revelation of Pour Sarah and Les Ombres rouges, who plays Anya, Hélène’s daughter.
The rest of the cast includes, among others, Andreas Pietschmann (Dark) and Maxim Driesen (Un Village français) in the roles of Hélène’s husband and son, as well as Cyril Gueï, Sylvain Dieuaide (Le Bazar de la charité), Charles Crehange (Tomorrow belongs to us), and the singer and actor Hatik (Validated), who does not go unnoticed in a small role.
Denis Manin / Quad Drama / TF1
Well worth a look ?
Deprogrammed at the last moment by TF1 on September 6 following the announcement of the death of Jean-Paul Belmondo, A perfect mother will have taken time before inheriting a new slot on the front page. But fans of Julie Gayet and Tomer “Balthazar” Sisley will finally be able to discover this evening this new thriller in 4 episodes directed by Fred Garson (Insoupçonnable, The Dancer) and written by Carol Noble (Le Père Noël) and Thomas Boullé (La Rousseau’s fault).
Not sure, however, that viewing this new series which takes us from Berlin to Paris will leave them with nothing but a taste of disappointment once they have reached the end of Hélène Berg’s adventures.
Although not very original, the pitch of A Perfect Mother could initially suggest an effective and breathtaking thriller, full of twists and challenges for this family who sees their quiet daily life in Germany turn into a nightmare when Anya, the The Berg’s eldest daughter, who is studying in Paris, becomes the main suspect in a murder case. Since she woke up next to the bleeding body of a student she vaguely knew.
However, in front of the first two episodes broadcast this Thursday evening on TF1, it is boredom that quickly points its nose. The plot of the series, though narrowed down to four episodes instead of the usual six or eight, lacks rhythm, and it’s hard to really get attached to the characters, who are often too caricatural.
Julien Cauvin / Quad Drama / TF1
Fortunately, the last two episodes catch up (a little) with the performance of Eden Ducourant, already astonishing in Pour Sarah, who here shows another facet of her acting game and quickly proves to be the centerpiece of the plot.
From the moment Hélène and Vincent come to suspect Anya of not telling the truth and of possibly being guilty of the murder of her college friend, the plot takes another turn and Eden Ducourant steals the show from her little comrades in a darker and more complex role than it seems. Which asks the essential question of the series: do we know our loved ones that well?
Despite the rather effective duo formed by Julie Gayet and Tomer Sisley, and a conclusion which has the merit of not necessarily taking us where we expected, A Perfect Mother is therefore mainly valid for Eden Ducourant, who is more important than ever. as a talent to watch closely. The whole ultimately lacking too much originality and suspense to really keep you going over time, especially since the series does not always escape inconsistencies.
In short, A Perfect Mother is a quickly seen and quickly forgotten thriller that will not mark the spirits for long. And which will certainly be quickly eclipsed from memory by the return of HPI, the triumph of TF1 in 2021, which will return on May 12 for an already highly anticipated season 2.