DVD Review - Dolmen

Dolmen *** (NR) This three-disc set contains the six 90-minute episodes of a complicated 2005 crime miniseries from French TV. We meet Marie (Ingrid Chauvin) on the ferry to her home island off the coast from Brest en route to marrying her childhood sweetheart. She’s a cop; he’s a national hero from victories in international sailing competitions. One the eve of the ceremony, one of her brothers is killed under circumstances that are not just suspicious, but seemingly tied to ancient legends of the island. More bodies pile up, with phenomena like bleeding statues (a cluster of monoliths like a mini-Stonehenge drawing tourists and scholars until these events started), mysterious lights and spectral images. Though Marie had been a golden Girl there in her youth, everyone seems hell-bent on keeping her from investigating, or even staying on the island. The local community is a small town with many old secrets and resentments, fostering fears of what may yet occur.

The pace is a bit slow, but the script dangles a slew of suspects and theories to keep things suspenseful. The scenery is also a plus; same for a few intimate scenes that would only appear here on subscription cable stations. Marie is joined by a mainland detective (Bruno Madinier) who initially kicks her off the case for her obvious personal involvement in the matter, before realizing how much he needs her connections and skills. The proceedings include several more corpses, romantic ups and downs and supernatural possibilities, as the backstories of old business leading to new victims gradually unfold.

Dolmen would be a slightly above-average crime series except for its star, who significantly elevates the product. Chauvin, whose career has been devoted to France’s small screens, is not just eye candy. She’s believable as a smart, determined investigator, yet sympathetic as a woman who is struggling to protect her love ones amid a spiraling series of baffling, tragic losses. The casting is impeccable, with plenty of solid supporting players fleshing out the good and bad facets of living in such a close-knit, insular community. But Chauvin is the one who makes me wonder what else viewers on this side of the Atlantic have been missing. (1/27/14)