Into the Night (2020)

Creator: Jason George
Starring: Jan Bijvoet, Nabil Mallat, Pauline Etienne, Laurent Capelluto, Stefano Cassetti, Vincent Londez, Regnia Bikkinina, Alba Bellugi, Babetida Sadjo, Mehmet Kurtulus and Ksawery Szlenkier
Duration: One Season. Six episodes. Each about 40 mins.

Into the Night is Netflix's first original Belgian series. It kept popping up in the recommendations and its brevity attracted my attention. The series is shot mostly in French with occasional dialogues in Russian, Dutch and English. I tried changing the language setting to English but preferred to watch it in the original. The subtitles are more than enough to follow the dialogues. I realized that watching in the original language makes a world of difference for it brings one closer to the characters in a way that a dubbed voice cannot. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the series. Despite its simple premise, the series which is based on a novel called The Old Axaloti by Jacek Dukaj unfolds dramatically and culminates in a breathless finale. Basically, the world is destroyed by a cataclysmic event involving the sun's rays. In order to survive a group of passengers must fly away from the sun. Needless to say, the group is diverse; important to say that the diversity is not only in terms of background and character but also in race, language, age and gender. This gives the series a whole new value. 

The drama is incredible and the suspense is chilling. There is quite a bit of foul language but given the circumstances, I think it is understandable. The series offers quite some food for thought. It brings out very well the hidden tensions that exist among persons which often are covered under the wet blanket of unity, harmony and progress. Hidden biases often come to the surface when one's back is to the wall or in this case when it is a matter of life or death. Trust is another vital issue that is explored quite beautifully throughout the series. I was taken up by the script, plot and the overall execution of the series. Money Heist and Into the Night are both originally non-English series and their success and impression on me have opened up my horizons and piqued my interest in foreign filmography. 

I sincerely recommend watching this highly engaging series. The brevity of both the number of episodes as well as the duration of each ought to allow one to enjoy this in a short while. For those who like to binge-watch, this might take all of a day or two, and trust me it is worth that day or two. 

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