France 2 broadcasts this Monday evening the first two episodes of “Vortex”, its new ambitious detective series carried by Tomer Sisley, the star of “Balthazar”. Is this thriller worth a look?
2025. Captain of the judicial police in Brest, Ludovic lost the love of his life, Mélanie, 27 years ago. The mother of her daughter Juliette died in what appeared to be an accident… But suddenly, thanks to a time rift that opens inside a reconstructed crime scene in virtual reality, they can communicate between 1998 and 2025 !
Ludovic warns Mélanie: she will die in 11 days! But saving her from certain death means that Ludovic risks losing his life in the present, the one he took so long to rebuild: his new wife, Parvana and their son Sam.
From Monday January 2 at 9:05 p.m. on France 2 and already available in full on france.tv and Salto. Episodes seen: 4/6
Designed by Camille Couasse (Lupin, Les bracelets rouges) and Sarah Farkas (Off season), based on a concept by Franck Thilliez (Syndrôme E), Vortex is worn by Tomer Sisley (Balthazar, Largo Winch) and Camille Claris (The Last life of Simon), who respectively slip into the skin of captain Ludovic Beguin, and his late wife, Mélanie.
His new wife is embodied by Zineb Triki, who fans of spy series will have recognized for her role in The Office of Legends. Eric Pucheu (Les Engagés) plays Ludovic’s best friend and teammate while Sandrine Salyères (Gwen in Tomorrow belongs to us) plays his wife.
Comedian Ludovik, Léo Chalié (The world of tomorrow), Anaïs Parello (Here it all begins), Juliette Plumecocq-Mech (Aim for the heart, Fear on the lake) and Julien Floreancig (Un si grand soleil) complete the cast. The episodes are directed by Slimane-Baptiste Berhoun, who notably worked on The School of Life.
For many years, detective fiction has remained THE safe bet for French channels. Between Balthazar, the “Meurtres à…” collection, HPI and even Alex Hugo, it is sometimes difficult to stand out. But it seems that with Vortex, France 2 has succeeded in taking up the challenge.
Far from the somewhat plan-plan police usually offered on the channel, this series in 6 episodes manages the feat of mixing science fiction and whodunnit to offer us a polished and original thriller.
Like Minority Report, Vortex takes place in the not so distant future (in 2025) where the crime scenes are now reconstructed in virtual reality, allowing investigators to move freely around the crime scene.
Quad Drama / FTV
It is in these circumstances that Captain Ludovic Beguin, who lost the love of his life more than 25 years ago in what seemed to be an accident, manages to communicate with his late wife through a space-time rift. .
However, he only has 11 days to save her. Both of them, she in 1998 and him in 2025, will embark on an investigation to find out what really happened 27 years earlier.
But our two heroes must be careful: the slightest change in the past, even minimal, can have disastrous consequences for the future… A “butterfly effect” which will of course put the character portrayed by Tomer Sisley in a delicate position.
If he manages to save his wife, it means he will lose the life he has built for himself today. What choice will he make? It is this constant questioning on the course of life, but also on the consequences of our choices, which allows us to bring a new dimension to this thriller, while offering us moments of powerful emotions, which are based on the talents of actor of Tomer Sisley and Camille Claris, impeccable in their respective roles.
In addition to this constant back and forth between past and present (which plays shamelessly on the nostalgia of the 1998 World Cup), Vortex also offers a complex and captivating investigation that keeps us in suspense until the final revelation. The series written by Camille Couasse and Sarah Farkas is undeniably the good surprise of this beginning of the year, which absolutely must not be missed.