Two Sides of the Abyss–Cat and Mouse
A disturbing German psychological crime thriller, Two Sides of the Abyss (2023) opens with an obsessive, grieving police officer, Luise Berg (Anne Ratte-Polle), determined to re-incarcerate the murderer of her teenage daughter. Berg is outraged that Dennis Opitz (Anton Dreger) has been released early from prison. His psychiatric evaluation suggests he is completely rehabilitated. Berg believes otherwise and is obsessively driven to achieve justice.
Other murders occur shortly after Dennis Opitz’s release, including a brutal murder in a trailer park. In contrast to Berg, the police chief considers the murders to be unrelated to that of Berg’s daughter. She is gaslighted for refusing to recuse herself from the case. Her police chief assumes she is out for revenge against someone no longer a threat to society.
Berg is now divorced from her husband and estranged from her younger daughter, Josi. Her ex-husband refuses to accept her hypotheses about Opitz. Ironically, his current wife, an attorney, had helped Opitz get a reduced sentence of manslaughter, not first-degree murder.
Drawn into a complex cat-and-mouse game in which the difference between law and justice is inevitably blurred, Opitz aims for the emotional jugular of Berg, her remaining teenage daughter. Berg’s “higher” motive is to protect as only a parent can. Who is the victim here? The backstories of Opitz, Berg, Berg’s two daughters, and the institutions who created their pain and suffering are brilliantly unfolded. Two Sides of the Abyss reveals a horrific entrapment for all.
Not an easy series to watch. The ending signals another season is pending. Two Sides of the Abyss is “Happy Valley” meets “Your Honor”, eviscerating what constitutes parental responsibility and the encumbering consequences.
Availability: Max
Note: Trailer is available exclusively in German with no English subtitles.