Les Disparues de la Gare, a thrilling French-style “true crime” (review)
In Perpignan, the night swallows up teenage girls. A breathtaking hunt begins, led by an endearing band of rough investigators, in a city suffocated by fear.
New French creation on Disney Plus today: with Les Disparues de la Gare, the streaming platform dares French “true crime” and it is successful.
Perpignan, at the end of the 20th century. A teenage girl disappears near the station. And she’s not the first. Since the mid-1990s, young girls who venture into the neighborhood have tended to disappear into the night. Three will be found murdered, naked, their bodies staged in a sordid, surgical manner. As the city sinks into psychosis, the local police open an investigation.
Freshly out of school, Flore Robin finds herself thrust into the heart of this bloody affair and tries to piece together this macabre puzzle which leaves no trace.
The true story of the “Perpignan Station Murders” is masterfully directed by Virginie Sauveur (Magnificat). The director installs constant tension and a gray atmosphere, which reflects the stifling atmosphere of the city facing this elusive serial killer.
The chiseled writing of Gaëlle Bellan (a former member of the Bureau des Légendes) brings justice to the victims and transforms the reconstruction into a real French-style “true crime”. The bloody maze is certainly a bit conventional. The series doesn’t revolutionize anything. But thanks to her gang of endearing investigators, she gains strength.
Around the amazing Camille Razat (Emily in Paris), Hugo Becker, Kévin Azaïs and Patrick Timsit form a team of credible police officers, a little harsh and often in trouble. Human and touching investigators, who give substance to this thrilling hunt. The mark of a good “true crime”.
Les Disparues de la Gare, season 1 in 6 episodes, to watch on Disney Plus
