A crime thriller for thinkers

Now the evenings are drawing in and the sofa blankets are beckoning, thankfully there's a wealth of brilliant, thought-provoking and 'relevant' TV to enjoy. If psychological thrillers and crime series are your bag, then Netflix is a great shout. Whilst subtitled shows might initially put you off, I urge you to give Dear Child, based on a German novel by Romy Hausmann, a go. I'll do my best to do justice to it in a review whilst not dropping any spoilers for you!

The opening scenes are fairly typical for a thriller. It's dark, there's some menacing-looking stuff going on, and the camera soon cuts to a woman frantically running for her life. However, what unfolds is a captivating storyline which explores the impacts of trauma, attachment and environment on our identities and actions. You might also be pleased you have a sofa blanket or cushion on hand to hide behind when it gets particularly suspenseful!

This is most definitely a show for adults, but the main protagonist is a 12-year-old girl called Hannah, which is refreshing and intriguing. Viewers will enjoy seeing the world through her lens and it might well encourage you to reflect upon how much of our early lives and those of our clients are shaped by caregivers. It soon becomes apparent that Hannah has some strange learnt behaviours and rules for living, which makes you question the ways in which her parents have treated her.

For example, in one of the opening scenes when greeting their father, she and her brother Jonathan present the fronts and backs of their hands for inspection. As the series progresses, this might also encourage you to think about your own rules followed both as a child and as an adult. We are able to see how boundaries and rules both normal and extreme help children to make sense of the world and give them structure and a sense of safety.

There's also a liberal dusting of stress and vicarious trauma evident in the police personnel which is something we can likely all relate to for those 'tricky cases'. The show reveals the various ways in which professionals may try to manage their distress. It may act as a reminder that in our line of work, like others within the helping profession, we need to ensure that we are looking after ourselves and know that we are all humans who at times make unwise decisions and may well rely on less-than-ideal coping strategies.

If, like me, you're an early careers psychologist then the six-part series serves as a great opportunity for practising your formulation skills. If you're a trauma clinician, you might well be pleased to see there's some evidence of the main characters being treated in a trauma-informed way. It was also interesting to see how German healthcare operates: or at least how it's portrayed on Netflix anyway! It's fair to say that the psychiatrists' offices look a lot nicer than those we are likely familiar with in the UK. 

Attachment is the last of the key themes, but I'll tread carefully so as not to affect your enjoyment of the show! Dear Child reminds us that a key human motivator is connection, to feel like we belong and are loved. Satisfying these needs can lead us to extreme lengths and do terrible things, which for me, is the ultimate message of Dear Child. There is always a reason why people act the way they do, and no one is completely evil. 

If you're a fan of thrillers like Room or Gone Girl, I'd very much recommend that you watch Dear Child. 

Reviewed by Emily Friend, Assistant Psychologist, and Member of the Aspiring Psychologist Membership by Good Thinking Psychological Services