An unmarried couple have been living together for a long time, sharing the same house and raising two children. Well-off and respected by society, they lead a comfortable life. One day the female half of the couple learns that her partner has died in a work-related accident. Soon after she discovers, with stunned horror, that the man had entered into lawful matrimony with another, much younger woman. The funeral games begin...
"Dubbelleven" is a series about the various ways people react to grief and betrayal. It starts out very strong, with two or three episodes that are genuinely moving and gripping. All the elements are present for a superb psychological thriller à la Ruth Rendell or, why not, for a modern-day Greek tragedy. Sadly the quality descends until the series becomes nicely watchable and competent, nothing more. The lead actresses, both of whom are very good, are the series' main asset.
Watch out for the dead man's teenage son, who is ungrateful and charmless to the point where I, personally, would prefer to share my home with the adolescent version of Damien from "The Omen". (At least Damien was good with dogs.) It is a testimony to the forbearance - or cowardice - of the other characters that nobody throws him from the tower of St. Rumbold's Cathedral. Come on, you people ! Why else would our ancestors have built a tower that high ?
Most of "Dubbelleven" was filmed in Mechelen, which you may know as Malines. As a Mechlinian born and bred my initial thought was : nice ! Watching the series I noticed that it shied away, carefully, from Mechlinian dialect. This strikes me as a missed opportunity, since Mechlinian boasts some of the most striking "è" and "ei" sounds heard in the Low Countries. It also contains an array of deeply impressive insults and cursewords, many of which could apply to the situations depicted.
Moreover, it is remarkable how un-remarkable Mechelen looks : I got the impression that it was filmed with a sense of (contractual) duty, but without fire or creativity. The series' Mechelen is not particularly beautiful - and this for a city that the emperor Charles, who lived during Renaissance, called "old, fine and goodly". I have known fully-grown visitors, all of them seasoned travellers, to go "ooh" and "aah" upon seeing the central market place for the first time ; it would surprise me greatly if any viewer has the same reaction. By the same token the series' Mechelen isn't all that dangerous, dark or mysterious either - it's too bland and boring for that. Small wonder that some turn to bigamy.
"Dubbelleven" is a series about the various ways people react to grief and betrayal. It starts out very strong, with two or three episodes that are genuinely moving and gripping. All the elements are present for a superb psychological thriller à la Ruth Rendell or, why not, for a modern-day Greek tragedy. Sadly the quality descends until the series becomes nicely watchable and competent, nothing more. The lead actresses, both of whom are very good, are the series' main asset.
Watch out for the dead man's teenage son, who is ungrateful and charmless to the point where I, personally, would prefer to share my home with the adolescent version of Damien from "The Omen". (At least Damien was good with dogs.) It is a testimony to the forbearance - or cowardice - of the other characters that nobody throws him from the tower of St. Rumbold's Cathedral. Come on, you people ! Why else would our ancestors have built a tower that high ?
Most of "Dubbelleven" was filmed in Mechelen, which you may know as Malines. As a Mechlinian born and bred my initial thought was : nice ! Watching the series I noticed that it shied away, carefully, from Mechlinian dialect. This strikes me as a missed opportunity, since Mechlinian boasts some of the most striking "è" and "ei" sounds heard in the Low Countries. It also contains an array of deeply impressive insults and cursewords, many of which could apply to the situations depicted.
Moreover, it is remarkable how un-remarkable Mechelen looks : I got the impression that it was filmed with a sense of (contractual) duty, but without fire or creativity. The series' Mechelen is not particularly beautiful - and this for a city that the emperor Charles, who lived during Renaissance, called "old, fine and goodly". I have known fully-grown visitors, all of them seasoned travellers, to go "ooh" and "aah" upon seeing the central market place for the first time ; it would surprise me greatly if any viewer has the same reaction. By the same token the series' Mechelen isn't all that dangerous, dark or mysterious either - it's too bland and boring for that. Small wonder that some turn to bigamy.
