Brunhilde Blum is a mother of two, the wife of a local officer, and the operator of a mortuary. When her husband is killed in an unintentional hit-and-run, Blum learns many more dark secrets in her little Austrian community than she ever thought as she pursues vengeance on those who have ruined her life in Woman of the Dead.
The show’s protagonist embarks on a trip into the metaphorical “Heart of Darkness” during this season’s six 45-minute episodes to an extent I did not expect when I originally cued up episode one. And, while the adversaries are shown as wicked, vile characters who do whatever they want, no matter how despicable, the program’s biggest surprises come from the gradual unraveling of Blum’s past throughout the season.
Woman of the Dead does a superb job of gradually revealing its protagonist’s secrets in a way that is both disarming and shocking. From the beginning of the series, the show returns to an event in Blum’s life that forever affected her. The series makes a good move by revealing the moment and allowing the spectator to accept what it is before gently expanding on it. This type of extension on a key background incident has been handled brilliantly in some of my favorite mysteries, and it is done equally well here.
While the big moments give some memorable shocks, most of Woman of the Dead is spent in the gradual simmering suspense that many mystery stories thrive on. The series isn’t thrilling every minute, but it’s never dull. As Blum looks for answers, the series does an excellent job of maintaining the sense that danger awaits her and those close to her.
The performance in this film is consistently superb. While several of the performances aren’t especially memorable, none of them detract from the situation. Most significantly, Blum’s character (Anne Marie Mühe) can play the resolute and agonized protagonist convincingly.
As her character is driven deeper down the plot’s dark slope, Mühe portrays Blum as shattered as one could wish.
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The show’s cinematography is the final aspect that has to be discussed. Not only are shots placed expertly throughout the series’ most suspenseful moments, but the production also performs a fantastic job of artfully removing nuances and aspects such that their final unveiling is never even suspected.
Woman of the Dead was an amazingly suspenseful and unsettling story, in my opinion. While the substance may be more than some casual viewers expect, the series makes excellent use of its thoughts and aspects.
Woman of the Dead is currently available on Netflix.
