Watch if you're tired of lengthy, watery dramas and want something concise, stylish, and with a sharp plot. Tom Schilling turns an immoral lawyer into a character you somehow root for, and the irony about the mindfulness industry is the best advertisement for meditation I've seen. Perfect for a Friday night: 4 hours of content that fly by unnoticed.
The premiere on Netflix took place on October 31, 2024 — on Halloween, which is symbolic for a series where death is served as lightly as an appetizer. The adaptation of the eponymous book by Karsten Dusse tells the story of Bjorn Dimele — a mafia lawyer who enrolls in a mindfulness course to save his marriage and improve his relationship with his daughter. Instead of harmony, he discovers that meditation techniques work perfectly for planning murders.
The tone is a black comedy in the spirit of European neo-noir. The series doesn't make you laugh out loud; it makes you smirk at the most inappropriate moments: when the protagonist, with a cool head, decides whom to eliminate and whom to spare, using breathing practices. The atmosphere of Berlin at night, the cinematography by Monica Plura, and the short episodes create the effect of a "light thriller" that doesn't press but also doesn't let go.
The format consists of 8 episodes of ~30 minutes, limited series. This is rare for Netflix: there is no filler or secondary storylines. Each episode is a new level of Bjorn's mindfulness and a new corpse. Tom Schilling plays with ironic detachment, while Emily Cox adds dramatic contrast as the wife who still doesn't understand what her husband has gotten into.
If you liked "Shameless" in its European incarnations or "Killing Eve" with its dark humor — "Killing Consciously" operates on a similar frequency. Fans of "Berlin Station" and German crime will find the mafia backdrop interesting, and those looking for unconventional comedy will find this one of the freshest formats of 2024.